Daddy LongLegs CSI:NY Style
by Vanidot
Summary: Mac Taylor is the richest man in New York City so why does he work in a crime lab? In walks Stella Bonasera, a feisty Greek female, whose name isn't the only thing she has in common with a girl whose life he saved nearly 30 years ago. AU
1. Chapter 1: The Meeting

All the basic disclaimers apply, I don't own them of course but I do love them.

AN: I know there are countless stories that I should be writing instead of starting a new one but this little idea wouldn't leave me alone. I'm just thorwing this out here to see if it sparks anyone's interest. I may take it down if it doesn't or I may finish it if it does. I'll see where the inspiration takes me. Please write a review and let me know what you think. Should I change the title? I'm not married to it. This story came to me while I was watching episodes for some reason I got this idea that what if Mac was a Bruce Wayne like character and Stella was a girl he'd found beside the road. I loved Fred Astair when I was younger and one of my favorites without Ginger Rogers was Daddy Long Legs so that's what inspired me to write this. I also took some inspiration from a Gary Sinise movie: Fallen Angel which aired on Hallmark cahnnel so you'll see a few of those characters pop up. Any other details you'll just have to read it to find out. Okay thanks to lily moonlight and rocksmacked who made me rethink the age gap a bit I'm changing the date from 1972 to 73 and in case the first sentance doesn't spell it out Mac Just turned eighteen and Stella is almost six. It's an Au and I am the author so I can strecth things a bit. ;-) lol thanks to all the wonderful people who have reviewed and please continue to enjoy the story.

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

**Daddy Long-Legs CSI: NY Style (working title)**

**By: VaniDot**

Chapter One: The Meeting

1973

Two life changing events happened to him the year McKenna Boyd Taylor, Jr. turned eighteen. The first mile marker was the death of his parents when their Private Jet crashed into the ocean off the coast of Maine. The second took place shortly afterwards when he was on his way home from their funeral. It was when he was driving back to their summer cottage at Rose Point that he stumbled upon another horrific scene. A car accident involing a hit and run. There were no signs of the other vehicle and both the woman and her husband were dead.

His own grief hadn't prevented him from checking to see if anyone in the car was still alive. It came as quite the shock then when he heard muffled cries coming from the back of the station wagon. At first he though it was the couple's pet who had been in the back when the car flipped but what he found instead made his heart lurch in his chest. There under a mountain of pillows was a little girl.

The girl couldn't have been more than four or five. But the important thing was she was still breathing. He carefully checked for broken bones and sighed in relief when he didn't find any. He surmised from her surroundings that she had been asleep on floor of the station wagon when it tumbled into the ditch. Besides countless scratches on her face and arms from the broken glass, he was certain her relaxed state was what had saved her life. He scooped her up noting that she felt lighter than he expected and stumbled backwards slightly on account of it.

He cursed slightly wishing that he had access to a phone which wasn't likely seeing he was out in the middle of nowhere. He quickly assessed his situation and remembered that the local sheriff lived not too far from there. While the man and his family were possibly asleep Mckenna knew he could be trusted not to throw the blame on him for someone else's doing. He gently laid the still unconscious girl in the back of his vehicle and took off as fast as he dared to drive on the wet road. He didn't want to be responcible for the death of the girl he'd just saved but he knew time was precious.

He turned down the small dirt path leading to the local law enforcment officer's home and was glad when he saw a light still on in the kitchen of the modest home. A face he recognized appeared at the door currious as to who was visting this time of night. McKenna got out of the vehilce and beckoned to the sherrif as he opened the door to the back seat of his parent's Cadilac.

"Hey, what ya got there Son? Hit a dog on your way back to the Point?" The man asked curiously as he neared the vehicle.

"Hardly, there is an overturned car in the ditch just a few miles up the road. One male, Caucasian approximately thirty-five to fourty years old dead at the scene, also a female I presumed was his wife possibly twenty-five to thirty years of age also deceased." McKenna informed the man.

"When did this happen?" The sheriff asked taking his information seriously.

"I would estimate around ten to thirty minutes before I arrived on the scene as the car's engine was still running. I turned the ignition off to prevent a fire. I didn't know what to do except come here and tell you but I uh…" He faltered the logic and reason he had clung to as his safe haven quickly slipped from his grasp when he looked down at the little girl in the back seat. "There was one other passenger in the station wagon, Chief Kane. A little girl I can only assume was their daughter… She uh…" He tried to explain but stepped aside to let the man have a look instead.

"Lord have mercy is she alive?" The local constabulary asked in shock and awe.

"She's breathing but I don't know… She hasn't made a sound except for one little whimper that helped me locate her." McKenna confessed.

"Get her to the hospital as fast as you can. I'll call ahead and let them know you're coming. Then I'll call my deputy out to where you said the accident happened and meet you there." The sheriff suggested.

"Yes, yes that's good. I'll do that then." McKenna nodded his head dumbly staring down at the little girl.

"You did good, Son. Most summer people wouldn't have even stopped. She was lucky you were still in the neighborhood though most of you city folk have returned to their jobs. I know the business which brought you here was a sad one but maybe there was another reason why you came back." Chief Kane expressed patting McKenna on the back for support.

"Thanks Chief, I'll uh… take her to the hospital and wait for you there." He answered.

"No need for you to put yourself out, Son. I won't be too long; the doctors and nurses will take good care of her 'til I do." The sheriff replied. McKenna shook his head.

"Someone aught to be there for her in case she does wake up." McKenna said softly his voice breaking a little. Thinking about the last words he spoke to his father. They had gotten into an argument when McKenna told his parents he was joining the Marines. His father had hoped he would go into the family business instead but McKenna argued that he wanted to serve his country and prove that not all rich kids were spoiled brats.

He'd seen what some of the older kids of their social group had done spitting into the faces of the men who survived the last war. McKenna didn't want to be like them. His father had argued that the Taylor's were one of the richest families in all of New York if not the world and he wouldn't have his son debase himself with menial labor. That was the last time he saw his parents as they had boarded the plane later that night. He had gotten the call the next day which changed his life forever. The best memories he had were all of them in Maine which was why he'd chosen to bury his parents there instead of taking them back to New York City. The funeral director arranged for a plaque to be placed on the family plot all the same as it would be expected by society.

McKenna waved goodbye to the sheriff and headed back towards the hospital with his precious cargo. For the first time in his life he prayed to whatever god was listening that he would make it in time. His prayer was simple; please don't let her die! True to his word the sheriff had called ahead and there were people standing outside with a gurney to take the little girl he had rescued. McKenna himself insisted on lifting her out of the car and carried her to the awaiting gurney where he safely deposited her. That was when he allowed the doctor's to take over and she was rushed into the inner workings of the hospital to be scrutinized.

"Mr. Taylor, are you willing to answer some questions?" he heard a female voice ask from nearby though he was still staring at the place where she disappeared. He felt a tug on his sleeve and that's when he realized she was talking to him and not his father.

"Uhm, yeah sorry I don't know much. I mean I've never met her." He answered.

"The doctor wanted me to get a statement from you so he can have a better idea of what he should be looking for." She explained. McKenna nodded and began to follow her inside but turned back to his car. "Don't worry about it Mr. Taylor, I'm sure hospital security would be willing to move it seeing as your father was one of our biggest contributors." The nurse answered his unspoken question. As if on cue a man in a uniform stepped out onto the curb and McKenna tossed him the keys.

"Just ask me or Al when you're ready to leave and one of us will fetch it for you. They say us country bumpkins don't know a thing or two about valet parking." The man chuckled as he got into the driver's seat of the car and took off.

"I know its hospital policy to limit visitors to just family but under the circumstances and seeing as how you saved her life I'm sure we can make an exception. You do want to make sure she's okay before you leave don't you?" The nurse asked. McKenna nodded absently and scratched the back of his head trying to make sense of everything. According to his mother McKenna thought too much, apparently he got that from his father as well as the man's stubbornness. "Follow me, I won't take up too much of your time and you can wait in the doctor's lounge until we see if she's going to make it or not." The nurse said.

"She will make it!" He declared vehemently startling the woman who meant no offence. "I mean she just has to make it. I don't care about the expense just do what ever it takes to make sure she lives… I don't want another death on my hands." He mumbled under his breath the last part though the woman didn't seem to notice. He sighed and followed her to the lounge, answered her questions the best he could, and waited for news.

He lost track of time and couldn't count the number of cups of coffee he drank though it was bitter. Mostly he took a few drinks, stared helplessly at it until it got cold before repeating the process all over again. He was vaguely aware of the man's presence when the sheriff finally arrived but couldn't do much more than nod or grumble an incoherent response until the man just gave up trying.

He gave into the nurse who tried to induce him to rest but as soon as his head hit the pillow he was wide awake again despite dozing every now and then. It wasn't until the wee hours of the morning when dawn was just beginning to break that the doors opened and a doctor walked into the room looking as exhausted as he felt. McKenna jumped to his feet but stayed glued to the floor while the sheriff stood more slowly and approached the doctor.

"Well, Doc, is it good or bad?" Chief Kane asked calmly.

"We did the best we could. There was some internal bleeding and we had to take out a part of her liver but she's still young enough that it aught to heal up sufficiently on its own. It'll be a while but I expect her to make a full recovery. She'll be in ICU for now but if she wakes up today or tomorrow then I think it would be safe to move her to the children's ward." The doctor informed them before heading back to the nurses' station to write out instructions for her care. McKenna slumped back into the seat he had just vacated feeling limp as a flood of relief washed over him.

"I don't even know her name." McKenna realized.

"I guess you didn't hear me when I said we found the couple's Id in the car." The sheriff stated and McKenna looked up expectantly at him. "Mr. and Mrs. Edward Wentworth. The girl's name is Stella if the name on the backpack Tim found under all those pillows was hers which I suspect it was." Sheriff Kane explained patiently for apparently the second time.

"Stella," McKenna breathed her name finally being able to put a name to the face that refused to be forgotten. He sat there for several more minutes mulling things over until he felt a hand on his shoulder and looked up at the sheriff once more.

"Why don't you go home, Son? There's nothing more you can do now. I'll see what I can find out about her folks and see if she's got any living relatives who can take her in. It's been a trying day for the both of you why don't you go home and get some rest?" The older man suggested. McKenna shook his head.

"I want to see her first." He insisted standing to his feet.

"She'll be out of it for a while, Lad. I'll call you the minute she wakes up if you want but there's no sense in you waiting here. Go home and that's an order." Kane commanded. McKenna nodded his head and looked at the door to where they had secreted Stella away one last time. "Al, Young Taylor here will be needing his car." Kane called out as they neared the emergency entrance. The man obediently headed out to fetch the caddie from the lot. "I'll see you later, McKenna and don't worry I'll call if anything should happen." The man assured him. He mumbled something incoherent again in reply.

"Want I should have Joe or Tim drive you back to Serenity Cottage? We might not have snow on the ground yet but there's ice." Kane asked. McKenna shook his head.

"No thanks, Chief. I was just thinking I'll be okay to drive." McKenna replied.

"You sure? You've had a long day yesterday and didn't get much sleep last night." Kane showed genuine concern but McKenna smiled and put a hand on the older man's arm.

"Thanks, but I just need to clear my head a bit. I promise I'll be extra precautious since the sun isn't up far enough to melt the ice on the road. I ran into a few patches last night. That could be what caused the accident but I noticed a few traces of red paint along the back bumper of the car before I got close enough to turn off the engine." McKenna told him. The sheriff shook his head and chuckled.

"Your father never forgave me for giving you that finger printing kit for your ninth birthday. Sure you don't want to go into law enforcement instead of the military? We could sure use a man with an eye for detail like yours then maybe so many bad guys wouldn't get away with stuff." Kane suggested.

"I've made up my mind, Chief. I feel like I can serve my country best by joining the Marines." McKenna replied just as Al drove up to the curb with the Cadillac that was his now; a lot of things were his by default. "I'll stop by the hospital later this afternoon." He added stealing a glimpse at the door behind them.

"She'll be fine; just worry about yourself right now, Kiddo. I'll be here." Sheriff Kane slapped him on the back. He took the keys from Al and pressed them into the palm of McKenna's hand and guided him to the driver's side. "You waste any more time around here I may just give you a ride down to the lock up and make you sleep there. That aught to give the rumor mills something to talk about." Kane chuckled bringing a smile to McKenna's face knowing the man would never do it.

"I'll go home and try to get some sleep… but don't count on it." He shot back as he got into the driver's seat, like everything of his father's it felt a bit too big for his liking.

"I'm sure sleep will come once you get back to what's familiar. Don't wander around the house pacing either. Have that Jenkins fellow drive you back to the hospital. I told him to make sure he tucked you into bed himself if he had to." Kane chuckled again though this time McKenna knew he was serious.

"I haven't had to be tucked into bed in a long time, Chief." McKenna retorted. The man just laughed and stared at him. "Okay maybe once when I was twelve but that was when I was sick." He admitted sheepishly.

"Uh-huh." The sheriff replied disbelievingly and closed the door once he'd started the engine. "Drive safe now I don't want to be scraping you up off the pavement." Kane told him after McKenna answered the tap on the window by rolling it down.

"I will, bye Chief!" McKenna said shaking his head at the older man as rolled the window back up and headed for home. Jenkins, the family butler/housekeeper/maid, fussed over McKenna as soon as he arrived at Serenity Cottage. McKenna let the man fuss and carry on because he was both too tired to complain. He also wouldn't have Jenkins when he went into the service though the family retainer would be in charge of keeping up the estates while McKenna was serving his country.

Despite what he'd told the sheriff McKenna was asleep as soon as he sank into the warm comfortable bed in his room. Regardless of Jenkins's insistence to the contrary, McKenna refused to take the master suite even though his parents weren't coming back. He just couldn't bring himself to do it. He wasn't sure how long he had slept but he felt only rested as he had tossed and turned most of the time.

"But Master McKenna, Sir…!" Jenkins tried to protest when McKenna came down fully dressed and prepared to return to the hospital.

"Jenkins, what have I told you about that 'Master' crap?" McKenna cut him off sitting down to put on his shoes.

"But Master Taylor always wished that I call him…." Jenkins came to his own defense.

"I don't care what my father wanted. I'm not him. I don't want anyone calling me Master anything. I'm just plain old McKenna Taylor, got that?" McKenna insisted. Jenkins looked about to object again but he threw the man a warning look. "I'll have to start calling you Alfred again." He warned referencing Batman's loyal servant. The other man cringed but said no more on the subject. McKenna hadn't been as interested in superhero's as much as he had been in his little green soldiers and G. figures, but he had called the other man Alfred for a while in his more…formative years. "You want to drive, Jenkins?" McKenna inquired as he stood up and pulled his coat on.

Ever willing to please his loyal servant smiled with the threat over. As they got into the car and headed into town to visit the hospital where Stella was it suddenly dawned on McKenna that he didn't know his driver's real name. As long as McKenna could remember they'd had at least five man servants, all called Jenkins. "By the way, Jenkins, what is you real name? I know you can't possibly be related to the first guy we had nor the second or third and unless you have some deep dark closet somewhere where you hide your family skeletons I doubt the last guys was related because he was black. You can't all be named Jenkins because the probability of all five of you having the same last name is astronomical." McKenna inquired.

"Your mother thought it would be easier to call all of us Jenkins as she wouldn't have to remember a different name every time someone was replaced. I'm not sure either of your parents would be pleased if I broke from tradition, Ma…cKenna, Sir," The other man replied. McKenna stared at the man's reflection in the rearview for a second and nodded his head. His mother had been a bit flighty at times though he loved her no less for it.

"It's time for some new rules around here and I won't have someone who goes by an alias work for me. Name please, Alfred." McKenna smirked as that earned a glare from the other man.

"Sidney Hammerback." His driver answered after several suspenseful minutes. McKenna climbed over the front seat much to the other man's chagrin and smiled at him holding his hand out.

"Well Sid, it's a pleasure to finally meet you. I'm… Mac." McKenna declared.

"Heavens Sir, your parents would not have approved!" Sid exclaimed ignoring his own loathsome nickname.

"I'm sure I'll be doing things my parents would never have approved of from now on Sid, you're just going to have to get used to it. If you aren't comfortable with them I could always find someone else to replace you but to be honest I'm tired of throwing away servants like they were bad cheese." McKenna replied still holding his hand out. Sid looked at it dubiously for several seconds before finally giving in.

"I need this job… Mac and quite frankly Sir I'm tired of breaking in new bosses." Sid accepted. McKenna smiled and slapped his driver on the back earning another glare from the older man.

"I think we're going to get along quite well from now on, Sid. Now when you park the car I want you to come upstairs to the children's ward, there's someone I want you to meet." McKenna requested.

"Yes Ma…c." Sid answered still having trouble getting used to not adding 'Master' as a prefix to the beginning of his name.

"I'll bet you aren't even British!" McKenna surmised and watched a small smile creep across the man's face.

"Actually, I'm Canadian." Sid replied dropping the false pretence.

"Another one of Mom's odd quirks?" McKenna inquired.

"Good guess." Sid replied. McKenna smiled and pressed back against the seat a bit more noticing he liked the view from the front seat better than the back.

"Stella Wentworth," McKenna repeated what Sheriff Kane had told him earlier that morning.

"Pardon?" Sid wondered.

"The girl I want you to meet." McKenna clarified realizing he'd spoken loud enough for the other man to hear him.

"A new love interest perhaps?" Sid asked in a teasing tone. It was weird getting used to the man's voice without the accent but it seemed more natural that way.

"Hardly, Sid she's only five years old at most." McKenna shot back though he couldn't get the sight of the bloody little girl out of his mind.

"Stranger things have happened. You know I once knew a girl who married a man 60 years older than her. Of course he was dead a few years later but…." Sid began. McKenna sighed thinking maybe he had made a mistake giving Sid too much freedom; the man could talk.

"You got a point to that Sid?" McKenna interrupted his driver.

"Oh, only that you're barely thirteen years older than her. Not now of course but you never know maybe you and she were destined to meet." Sid got to the point.

"I don't believe in destiny Sid and cradle robbing is illegal." McKenna huffed.

"It won't be cradle robbing if say you happen to meet twenty years down the road now will it?" Sid gave a quick rebuttal.

"Doesn't matter I'm still too old for her. In twenty years she'll find someone who's right for her in her own age bracket. Besides I'll still be in the marines." McKenna persisted and saw Sid shrug his shoulders out of the corner of his eye. They didn't speak again until they reached the hospital. Sid said he'd be right up and McKenna got out at the curb to head upstairs.

When he got to the floor of the children's wing he frowned; the sheriff was no where in sight. He asked at the nurse's station which room was Stella's and went to find her immediately. His heart beat faster as he neared the room and he hesitantly looked in the door. He felt some relief when he spotted the sheriff's wife sitting beside the bed. She looked up when he entered and smiled standing up to meet him halfway.

"Sorry, John wanted to make a few phone calls concerning Stella so he asked me to sit with her. He figured she would be more comfortable if the face she sees when she wakes up was a woman. The nurses are so busy with the other kids they can't just sit with her. I knew she'd be upset if she woke up alone so I volunteered. The kids are in school today so I could get away for a while. Tim's wife said she'd sit with her a little bit after she got off work and Natalie, that's Joe's wife, said she'd also help." Eileen explained. McKenna nodded in understanding and gave her a grateful smile.

"Has the Chief heard anything back yet?" McKenna wanted to know?

"Not yet I'm afraid. They couple was just passing through apparently as John can't find any trace of them owning or renting a cottage around here and no one remembers seeing them when he showed their picture around town. Their permanent address is an apartment in New York City so John talked to a friend of his in the department who said he'd canvas the area and find out what he could but that may take a few days." Eileen offered what little she knew. McKenna nodded dumbly again. "Can you sit with her for a bit? I just need to run down the hall to use the facilities then I'll be right back." Eileen requested. Again McKenna nodded dumbly and headed towards the bed near where she had been sitting.

If it hadn't been for that he would never have known the same little girl laying in that bed was the one he rescued from the wreckage last night. The blood had been washed off and her hair brushed. She could have been Shirley Temple if not for the darker curls surrounding her face in a halo and her skin he was sure was darker than that of his mother's favorite child actress. Despite the name like he might have guessed she was Italian as she bore an olive cast to her skin though he was sure with all that had happened it was washed out compared to what it could be. She would definitely be a heart breaker he thought to himself.

He reached out and touched one of the ringlets framing her face. He picked it up so enthralled by it that he was caught off guard when he noticed two green orbs staring up at him. His breath caught in his throat and he dropped the curl as if it had suddenly turned hot. She blinked a few times before holding her arms out to him. He took her hands and sat on the edge of her bed.

"You have to lay still okay." He told her. She gave a little whimper and squirmed in place but only a little. "I know you want to be held but the doctors had to fix you. You've got stitches so you have to not move around so they don't pull out. You don't want an ugly scar do you?" He asked softly. She just stared at him for a minute before shaking her head. "Good girl, Stella." He praised and stroked her hair once her hands dropped back to her sides. "Just go to sleep. I'm sure you'll feel better when you wake up." He urged her. She nodded and with a little pout closed her eyes once more. He sighed in relief feeling panicked that she would try to fight him but she hadn't. He smiled down at her and shook his head in amazement. He'd never seen anyone as beautiful as she was and she was just a child. He was more certain now that she would be a knockout when she grew up. He had the sudden urge to protect her but he knew that it wasn't his job to care for her which saddened him a little.

He heard footsteps behind him and turned to find Sid watching him from the doorway. McKenna motioned for his servant to approach and turned his attention back to the sleeping girl. She whimpered a few more times and her forehead creased into a little frown probably from the pain. He gently smoothed away the lines with tips of his fingers and she settled down again. He hated seeing anyone helpless but it was worse when it was a child.

"Wow, she's beautiful even if she is hooked up to all those monitors." Sid whispered softly.

"Don't start playing matchmaker with me Sid." Mac ordered.

"I was just saying how beautiful she is and thought how much of a knockout she'd be when she grows up is all." Sid said defensively. McKenna looked up at him and noticed the Sheriff standing in the doorway.

"Stay with her a second." He told his servant and got up to join the man in the doorway. "Any news?" He asked. Sheriff Kane nodded his head though by the look on his face it wasn't good news.

"It's just a preliminary report mind you, McKenna but… there's nothing on record or in their apartment to suggest an extended family. I can't find any information on the mother at all except her first name is Greek. It appears that Edward was the last of his family line as well no siblings, no parents still living, not so much as cousins distant or otherwise. It seems Stella's on her own." The man answered. McKenna's heart fell when his dream of her having a loving family to go home to was crushed.

"What's going to happen to her?" McKenna wanted to know.

"Well unless someone steps forward she'll probably go to an orphanage maybe a foster home or if she's lucky get adopted but she's gonna be in the hospital for a while at first. I hate to say it but you know most parents looking to adopt don't want to take in a kid who has problems, not that she's going to have any, but there's a stigma from having surgery at this young of an age. She may be one of those kids who gets lost in the system." The Sheriff told him. McKenna stared at him in disbelief granted he'd not had the perfect childhood everyone imagines a rich kid having but he couldn't imagine someone not wanting Stella. He'd always envied the close knit family that the sheriff and his wife had; they seemed to genuinely care about their kids unlike his own parents who he saw only at dinner and then only rarely.

"What if I take her?" McKenna spoke up not knowing where the words were coming from.

"Eighteen is a legal age, Son but only in the case of blood relatives can someone adopt their siblings. You'd have to talk to your family lawyer to see if you could set up a trust fund in her name so she's taken care of but I doubt she'll be able to live with you. What about you joining the marines? Who would look after her while you're gone?" The sheriff asked. McKenna nodded his head at the reasonable conclusion. McKenna was only eighteen, heading off to join the military, and didn't know a thing or two about raising a child.

"You're right Chief I don't know what came over me." McKenna sighed and turned back to look at the girl who Sid was talking softly to.

"It's natural to feel concern for someone especially one you've just saved. I know me and Eileen would love to take her in if we could but… honestly it's rough on all of us around here. Maybe she'd have better luck getting adopted in the city by rich folk who can give her a better life." Sheriff Kane said sadly.

"One of the charities my Mother donated to was ST. Basil's Orphanage maybe they'll agree to take her in. I'll see what I can do about setting up the trust fund like you suggested. The hospital in New York would be more suited to dealing with her care and she'd be closer to my lawyers. I'll see about getting her transferred there when the doctor thinks it's safe to move her." McKenna quickly worked out a course of action. "I'm supposed to be at the base in Quantico in two days. That's barely time to get all my affairs in order and hers as well. Who's going to tell her that her parents are dead?" McKenna asked with concern. He hated being unable to work out every little detail ahead of time.

"Leave that to me and Eileen, McKenna. You go do what you need to do. Me and the wife will be here when your representative comes to deal with Stella's relocation. You don't have to worry, Son, someone will be here when she wakes up and starts asking the tough questions." Kane assured him. McKenna nodded his head in relief.

"About that she was already a wake for a little bit. She wanted to be held but I was afraid of hurting her. She seems to be in a lot of pain can you ask the doctors or nurses if they can give her something for it?" McKenna couldn't help himself, worrying seemed to be in his nature.

"I'll let the nurses know she woke up." Eileen said rejoining them in time to hear the majority of the conversation before heading off again. She must have used the opportunity to grab a cup of coffee. McKenna sighed feeling torn about leaving Stella all alone and hated the vulnerability he felt in worrying about her.

"Take your time, I'll see you off when you're ready to leave. You'll be going back to Rose Point before you head out won't you?" The Sheriff asked. McKenna shook his head.

"Sid packed the car this morning while I slept. All that's left is for the caretaker to lock up and board it back up. Sid and I recovered the furniture we used with the dust cloths before we left." McKenna explained.

"Who's Sid?" The Sheriff wondered. McKenna chuckled and shook his head.

"Jenkins, turns out another one of my mother's odd eccentricities was to call all of our men servants by the same name so she didn't have to memorize new ones. Sid Hammerback is the most recent in a long line of servants we've had most of my life. Sid this is Sheriff Kane." McKenna introduced the man who approached. Sid smiled and held his hand out. McKenna slapped him on the back and nodded his head letting him know he wanted another minute alone with the girl he'd rescued. He left the older two men to talk and approached Stella's bed once more. The lines on her brow were back and he smoothed them away again before doing something unexpected; he leaned forward and kissed her forehead. When it came to her he seemed to loose all reason. "You get well, Stella Wentworth. I'll make sure you don't have to worry about a thing for the rest of your life but just get better please!" He pleaded quietly in her ear before he straightened up. He gently brushed a stray ringlet from her cheek memorizing every detail of her face before turning to leave, this time for good. He wondered if he'd ever see her again but he was determined to do whatever he could to provide for her. It was the least he could do.


	2. Chapter 2: Stella's First Day

A/N: As requested Chatper two. As I said in the first chapter I've never done this before but this is a work in progress so you'll get chapter three when its written. All the same disclaimers apply. I didn't have time to add this post 'em note to chapter one but in case you can't tell this story is a bit AU. Mac is rich (think Bruce Wayne without the mask or cloak) and Stella is his benificiary in a very daddy long-legsesque story only without the socialism that is supposedly in the book. I haven't read the book but I loved the Fred Astair movie version of this story. Maybe I should have mentioned this before but (Duh!) it's a Mac/Stella romance. I don't know if I'll get to see any smex scenes in this story though I might if I hide in the closet in Mac's brownstone master suite. I'm sure I'll be able to catch some clandestine kissing and maybe even some heavy petting before they throw me out of the room, slam the door closed, and slap me with a restraining order for peeking. This story is pretty much writting itself since I had no intention of starting a new fan fiction let alone one in a catagory I've never written in before. It slapped me in the face and screamed 'Write Me!' So after rubbing the sting out of my literary cheek I complied. Hope you like it, will post as soon as possible and pray I don't stay up til three a.m. another night in a row. Oh, I forgot to add that I've changed the age of Mac and Stella somewhat they are now the same age as the actors who playing... tabun (which in Japanese means probably;-)

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Daddy Long-legs CSI:NY Style

Chapter Two: Stella's First Day

Present Day

The life of Stella Bonasera had been one long mystery after another. From the car accident that had left her an orphan to her mysterious benefactor whose identity she had never known. Maybe that was what induced her to become a crime scene investigator, if she couldn't solve her own mystery then she could at least find answers to someone else's.

As to her own mystery she had searched through as many databases as she could but the only name she had to go on was Boyd Jenkins. Whoever he was he had left her a very generous trust fund and his only request had been that she sent him a letter every year as well as an extra one for her birthday and Christmas in case she wanted something special. In this day and age her first thought was pedophile but everything had been provided for her the night a mysterious stranger saved her life. The 1970's weren't free from pedophiles but they were much less common than now-a-days.

What made her think of a lonely old man who wanted to do something nice for a helpless stranger was the fact that he had never tried to contact her in person. When she did request something special for her birthday or at Christmas it was always delivered to the orphanage the very next day. She had never once received an answer to her letters except on those rare occasions and then in the form of gifts.

It was time for her to leave the orphanage the matron gave her a letter from the law firm holding her trust fund giving her instructions for the next phase of her life. It referenced a bank account that had been set up in her name but that was the only connection she had to her mystery man. Every month a stipend was deposited into her account and had she need of other expenses she was to go directly to the office and make the request in person.

When she had finally chosen which college to go to she found that her tuition had been already paid in full as well as other living expenses. When she graduated she was bequeathed an apartment in her name which, while modest, was on a safer side of town and that meant pricey. Despite the fact that she could have been either spoiled by such extravagance or angry at her benefactor for seeing her as a charity case, she was neither.

In fact she had learned very early on that what you are given could also be taken away so she was very careful to follow the lawyer's instructions to the letter. She didn't want to loose the financial security her benefactor provided but she also made the determination to earn her own way. She also wanted to pay her benefactor back but was unable to discover how so she did the next best thing.

Stella had considered going into medicine like those doctors who'd helped her all those years ago. During her course of study however, she learned that Criminal Investigations could provide her more opportunities to unravel her own mystery. It also gave her the opportunity to help people just as she had been helped that fateful night. She had to become a cop before she could be a criminal investigator and was concerned that her benefactor wouldn't approve but when she told the lawyer, who was the executor of her trust fund, he had given her the go ahead.

Everything went as though according to some master plan though she couldn't say her life was perfect she had at least been successful. Sometimes she wondered if she had gotten there by herself or if her benefactor had helped her along. She wasn't sure if that was the reason for her determination to succeed on her own merits or not. She had never gone to the lawyer's office to complain about 'this professor' or 'that training instructor'; she had wanted to at least feel as though she was doing everything she could without help.

When Stella finally made it where she wanted to be she felt a huge sense of relief though not without concern. Someone had to have put in a good word for her in order to catch the attention of the top Crime Scene Lab in New York City. That was where most of the data gathered by other units went to be processed. It couldn't be a coincidence… could it?

Stella steeled her nerves as the elevator heralded her arrival on the correct floor. As the doors swung open she took in a deep breath not even realizing she had been holding it. The first thing she saw when the doors slid open was a kind face and it gave her some sense of calm so she gave him her best smile in return.

"You Stella Bonasera?" The man questioned casually after looking her up and down giving her an appreciative smile as they passed either, her stepping off the elevator and him stepping on.

"Yes I am. Pleased to meet you…" She replied pausing in hopes of an answer.

"Danny Messer, and you're late." He told her and punched the button down. "Mac's not going to like the fact that you're late on your first day, Rookie." He gave her a cocky grin as the door closed behind him leaving her to stare dumbly after him.

"That's just Danny don't let him bother you." Another voice, female this time said from behind her. Stella looked to see a shorter woman in a white lab coat looking at her, the girl was probably barely out of the academy herself but had the sweetest smile. "He's right though you are late. We expected you at nine." The girl added.

"I know I'm sorry but you know how the traffic is." She gave a feeble excuse. The truth was the power had gone off in the middle of the night kicking off her alarm. She didn't know the batteries were dead until she woke up to the sun shining brightly in her window while the clock only said three am.

"West side?" The girl inquired.

"Pardon?" Stella looked at the unknown female in confusion.

"Your hair is still slightly damp which means you took a shower shortly before you left the house but didn't have time to dry it. I'm guessing you live on the west side because there was a power outage at 11:07 pm last night. It's more likely that your power went out and the alarm didn't go off. Better to tell Mac the truth than repeat that fib about the traffic. He's known around here as the human lie detector. When he's done with you, and you haven't run from the building crying like the last one did, I'll show you the locker room. I'm Lindsey by the way." The girl finally got around to introducing herself holding her hand out.

"Stella…" She replied but stopped there taking the girl's hand.

"Nice to meet you however you better get going. I'll tell you more later when I show you around. I have to get these to trace." The girl, Lindsey, told her referring to the files she hugged to herself then continued on her way.

"Where do I find him?" Stella asked after her retreating back.

"Bonasera, my office now!" A stern male voice barked and she turned to find the apparent owner of said voice standing in a doorway glaring at her. Great, she thought to herself there's no sneaking into work with his office so close to the elevator, he has a clear view of whose coming and going at all times.

She snapped to attention and marched towards the room feeling like a raw recruit rather than a veteran of both the force and the crime lab. She hadn't gotten her degree yesterday, she thought rebelliously to herself. Her only reprieve was the fact that he had returned to his desk and the paper work he had obviously set aside to yell at her. Not the best way to start the day, she inwardly sighed.

"I'm really sorry I'm late. My apartment's on the west side of town and I didn't realize it was time to change the batteries in my alarm clock until I woke up this morning. I'm sorry I slept in, it won't happen again." She apologized standing in front of his desk. He spared a look in her direction once more before nodding his head towards the chair.

"Have a seat, if I was going to fire you I would have already." The man said in the most irritating tone. She felt the heat rise up in her neck as her temper flared. At least he could have accepted her apology nicely, she silently huffed. She took a seat as gracefully as she could and squared her shoulders refusing to let him have the satisfaction of seeing her squirm. By the time she looked up at him again he'd already returned his attention to the papers in his hand effectively ignoring her. "Says here you're a mix of Greek and Italian but only you're mother's name is listed. Why?" He inquired. His question threw her for a spin and she sat a little straighter trying to contain her anger. Was he really trying to pick a fight?

"Because I don't know who my father is but as I recall knowing your parentage isn't a requirement of the job." She shot back as composed as possible though she was still seething inside. For the barest second she though she saw a smirk flutter across his face but it happened so fast she couldn't be sure.

She looked him in the eyes and except for the almost stone like features of his face she could have sworn his eyes sparkled. Was he laughing at her? She bit her bottom lip refusing to give in to the bait he was obviously dangling in front of her. Gods, he was a good poker player she surmised though didn't know whether he played the game or not. She wouldn't want to go up against him if he did and she was no slouch when it came to playing poker.

"Your supervisor put you in for a transfer to my division, Detective. Can you explain that?" He switched the subject on her without giving her a chance to add another biting remark which probably saved her job.

"How can I know what my boss is thinking? I'm not psychic. I'm good at my job and she knew that maybe that's why she suggested me." Stella guessed.

"Are you saying that you're better at your job than your fellow officers?" He was quick to ask.

"Do you purposefully misunderstand people you interrogate?" She retorted letting some of her temper slip past her control. This time he really did smirk if only briefly and his eyes were laughing at her. She bit down harder on the inside of her lip until it bled.

"Relax, Bonasera. Everyone gets the same treatment on their first day. You wouldn't be here if I didn't want you on my team. Lindsey will show you around then I may have an assignment for you later." The man said flipping the pages he was examining forward and signed the front sheet before handing the entire folder to the girl she had met earlier. "There's the sign off for next month's holiday requests. Can you take that up to human resources when you're done showing Ms. Bonasera around?" Mac Taylor asked Lindsey who nodded her head and took the file Stella had assumed was her personnel folder.

"If the hazing is over I need to use the ladies room." Stella spoke up at last trying not to grate her teeth as her anger overflowed.

"Dismissed." Mac said before turning his attention elsewhere. Without waiting for Lindsey to show her the way Stella marched towards the elevator clenching and unclenching her fists the whole time. Signs pointed her in the right direction and once she found the safety of the bath room she let herself into a stall.

"I can't believe this! That man needs a good swift kick in the rear end." Stella let out a frustrated cry and stomped her foot finding the painful reverberation coursing up her leg mildly refreshing. She also let off a round of appropriate expletives in her mother tongue.

"Don't let it bother you." Came the same sage advice Lindsey had given her earlier. Stella opened the stall and went to the sink to splash cold water on her face to help her cool down. "My first day on the job Mac and Danny had a bet to see if I would eat bugs after this one case. Danny bet Mac ten dollars that I wouldn't. Mac won the bet." Lindsey offered her a smile she couldn't help return. Stella felt her anger deflate a little.

"The guys were rough on me at my last precinct but not like this I thought for sure I was going to do something that would get me fired." Stella admitted breathing a little easier.

"The last two candidates pretty much bolted at the whole 'My office now' routine. The last person before me is now teaching crafts at an old folks home in Jersey. Danny gets a card from him every now and then but they aren't always intelligible. This job comes with its own set of hazards I guess picking on the rookie is kind of a stress reliever. I've been here a year already and I still get the occasional practical joke." Lindsay gave her some assurance but it just fueled her temper more.

"That's just it, I'm not a rookie I've been at this job for over ten years and I'm good at it." Stella insisted.

"I was at my job in Montana for three years before I came here but that didn't save me from the same dose of medicine. We're all the best at what we do, Stella. Mac wouldn't have approved the transfer if he didn't think you weren't qualified for the job. Are you ready for me to show you around now?" Lindsey asked. Stella fixed her makeup which had been mussed from splashing water on her face and nodded her head.

Lindsey led the way around the lab telling her which room was used for which test and introducing her to more people than Stella could memorize in one afternoon. Apparently the other woman thought it best to save the worst for last; the final destination on the grand tour, the morgue. Stella hated the often necessary trips down to the morgue but she had resigned herself to it even before becoming a CSI. What she found when she got there though was an unexpected but not unpleasant surprise.

"Sheldon Hawkes!" Stella exclaimed confirming that the voice she had heard wasn't a mistake. The face of an old friend stared back at her.

"Stella Bonasera!" Hawks replied with his own happy exclamation as they hugged

"What are you doing here? What am I saying? You're the best ME in the tri-state area of course you'd be here." Stella answered her own question.

"Actually I'm a field agent now." He informed her as they drew apart. She just stared at him in amazement.

"When did that happen?" She inquired earning a smile from Hawkes who shook his head.

"Mac give you the rookie treatment already? Sorry I already did my time in that respect. I've been out in the field for about a year and a half now." Hawkes answered. Stella punched him in the arm when she saw the joy on his face at the thought of being able give as good as he got.

"Don't even think about it." She warned. "So if you're not the ME anymore than who is?" Stella inquired.

"Let me introduce you to the second best ME in the tri-state area, Sid Hammerback." Hawkes motioned to an older gentleman who stared at her for a minute before he remembered his manners and bowed his head in her direction.

"Pleased to meet you, Detective. I'd shake your hand but as you can see I'm in the middle of an autopsy." Sid replied holding up his gloved hands to show her they were covered in blood.

"Sorry to interrupt. I'll let you two get back to work." Stella apologized and followed Lindsey from the room to finish the tour in the basement where they kept the vault. They headed back upstairs and Lindsey showed her the locker room and finally the office they would be sharing. Danny and Hawkes shared the office next door but other than that they were the only ones to have an office.

Everyone else on that floor worked in whatever section of the lab they specialized in. When the two women got back to their office Stella sank in her chair and sighed slipping off her stiletto heals. She really needed to break down and buy herself a nice pair of pumps she could wear to work whether they looked like shoes a grandmother would wear or not. She couldn't hide the sigh that escaped her lips which caused her roommate to laugh.

"Don't worry you won't have so much walking to do from here on out unless we're called to a scene." Lindsey assured her before getting back to work filing reports.

"You're a field agent as well aren't you, how come you're not out on a case?" Stella asked curiously.

"I've just come back from maternity leave so Mac has me on light duty which basically means I'm handcuffed to my desk for a few more weeks." Lindsey explained signing off on a piece of paper, placed it in a file on her desk, and set the file on top of and ever growing pile to her left before looking up at Stella again. "I don't mind," Lindsey quickly adding seeing the look of dislike on Stella's face, she personally hated desk duty. "It gives me a chance to work back into things slowly and every once in a while I get to process samples as long as it won't effect breastfeeding the baby. The best part about it is I get to go home early." Lindsey replied to the silent question Stella was asking.

"What's the baby's name?" Stella asked sensitive to the fact that new mothers don't like their children referred to an 'it'.

"Her name is Lucy; she's not quite four months yet." Lindsey replied.

"Isn't she a bit young still for you to return to work?" Stella asked wishing she hadn't thinking it was the wrong thing to ask.

"Probably but I found a great daycare just up the street so I can go spend my lunch break with her. They're really supportive of working mom's and are willing to accommodate breast feeders. We can leave a few bottles of breast milk in the fridge as long as the bottles are safely labeled with ours and the baby's names. There's even a private room where you can make a few refills if you run out." Lindsey explained.

"You're lucky to have found a place that suits your needs." Stella gave the appropriate response.

"Stella I just got a call, you're with me. Be ready in ten." Mac Taylor commanded sticking his head in the door causing her to jump slightly though she was able to react in time to stifle most of it. By the time she looked up to answer the man he was already gone.

"Does he always do that?" Stella inquired.

"Better get used to it; he was in the Marine Corps. He can walk as quietly as a cat and his claws are almost as deadly. By the way when he says ten he really means five," Lindsey warned.

"Five minutes." Stella wondered.

"Five seconds." Lindsey corrected. Stella sighed and hurried to the locker room after slipping her shoes back on. She grabbed a few things she'd stowed away and headed for the elevators just in time to see her new boss hit the down button. He raised an eyebrow at her but nodded in approval. Stella sighed inwardly again. This was going to be a long day.


	3. Chapter 3: Mental Images

Okay here is the next installment. Sorry for making everyone wait so long but life happens. You know the drill, Mac and Stella would be happily married by now if I owned the right to anything. if I remember any side notes I'll add them latter or at the begining of the next installment. Enjoy! VaniDot

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Chapter 3: Mental Images

Mac Taylor came home from a long day at work feeling particularly exhausted. He couldn't get the image of that Bonasera woman out of his head. Every where he looked she was there like an image superimposed on another photo only this one of a little girl also named Stella. He shook the likeness from his head angrily. There was only one Stella in his life, the one he had saved thirty years ago not this new interloper into his well ordered life.

By heaven that woman drove him mad. She always had something to say about everything and she couldn't let him have the last word on anything. She was always finishing his conclusions before he could. Then she'd had the audacity to use the last of his stash of half & half at work. How could she not see the name on it? It was clearly written on the bottom of the cardboard pint.

When he walked in the front door of the brownstone that had been in his family since the early nineteen hundreds, an explosion of smells hit him in the face. That could only mean one thing... Sidney was cooking. Mac shook his head and sighed having hoped to get some alone time away from the hustle and bustle of the more congested sections of the city. Sid apparently had other ideas. As expected, Sid was in the kitchen in a chef's hat and apron. He looked every bit the part of Mac's servant from the old days instead of one of the top medical examiners of the country.

"Sid, you worked the same sift I did. You didn't have to come here and cook for me. Go home; be with your wife and kids." Mac ordered causing Sid to look up from the dish he was fastidiously arranging on plates.

"Mary took Annabelle to visit her sister in Jersey. Ruby's already back at college." Sid answered. Mac sighed and nodded his head knowing his friend didn't like going home to an empty house.

"Alright I give up, you win. What's for dinner?" Mac asked looking over the man's shoulder.

"Beef stroganoff, grilled asparagus with hollandaise sauce, and for dessert a pear galette drizzled with a plum wine glaze that has the barest hint of ginger." Sid listed what he'd made.

"I guess I'll be dining like a king for the next few days. How long is Mary going to be gone?" Mac wondered.

"Three or four days, she said it depends on whether or not they hit a lucky streak." Sid replied.

"They going to hit Atlantic City?" Mac inquired getting out some silverware and a two glasses as Sid already had a bottle of wine set out to go with the meal.

"Nope, said something about doing a shop hop. Ever since Mary went to see Vivian last time she's been a sewing fanatic. All the bedrooms in our apartment are full of fabric and blankets she calls quilts. It's getting to the point where I can't even get dressed in my own bedroom for fear of knocking something off her sewing table. When I asked her why she was so obsessed with sewing little pieces of fabric together she got mad at me. She asked what the difference was between sewing fabric scraps together and sewing up dead bodies. She says what she does is beautiful while I deal with the gruesome day in and day out. I don't know Mac, am I spending too much time away from home? Is that why she's decided to take up this hobby? She's become a different person since she retired from teaching." Sid remarked despondently bringing the platter of Asparagus to the table along with the wine. Mac opened the bottle of Carolina Blush and poured them both a glass while Sid brought the other two dishes to the table before joining him.

"I think it's great she has a hobby, Sid. It's got to be tough on her not have anything to do all day long while Bella's at school. She doesn't have that many more years to go before you pack her off to school as well." Mac said.

"Don't remind me." Sid interjected. Mac laughed and continued.

"What is it, four more years?" He wondered.

"Three," Sid corrected delving into his plate of Stroganoff. "Hmmm," he sighed in contentment. "In the middle of my autopsy this afternoon I got the suddenly craving for this. You know it's interesting…." Sid began and Mac could feel his gag reflex start to object.

"Sid, not at the table please." Mac requested halting him before he had a chance to go into further detail.

"Right sorry, Mac." Sid apologized sheepishly then shoved another spoonful of food into his mouth. Mac likewise ruminated over several morsels when he came up with the solution to Sid's problem. He took a sip of wine to wash the food down before he spoke.

"You said you've been taking Bella to school lately right?" Mac asked to which Sid nodded the affirmative. "Then why don't the three of you move into the carriage house? It hasn't sold in over a year and needs a bit of work since the last tenant moved out anyway." Mac suggested. Sid looked up at him in astonishment.

"You're not serious are you? The rent on the Carriage house alone is more than I make in a year…" Sid began causing Mac to quirk an eyebrow at him. "Okay what I make at the department." he corrected.

"That doesn't matter it's not like I need the money anyway. The land values in that part of town have gone down while the ones near you have gone up. You could probably sell your condo for a lot more than I could make off another actor-wanna-be tenant. Besides it makes more sense to move closer to the private school Bella goes to and we can car pool when I'm here. No matter how you look at it there are more pros than cons. Bella's in a better neighborhood – not to mention within walking distance to her school. Mary can fix up the bottom floor to use as her sewing room and you can have your bedroom back." He listed just a few of the pros but Sid had such a look in his eyes at the last one Mac knew his previous servant was amenable to the idea.

"I'll have to talk it over with the girls." Sid said but nodded his head already sold on the prospect of having his bedroom free of clutter again. It wasn't until desert that Sid cleared his throat to say something. Mac's heart sank as there were only a few times his friend started a topic that way which meant it wasn't good for Mac. "So…" Sid began signaling it was going to be a long night. "I suppose you met the new girl today." Sid said finally cut to the chase. Mac rolled his eyes and went to get a thing of port wine flavored cheese spread out of the fridge before returning to the table. Sid just rolled his eyes but didn't complain about his choice of condiments. Mac helped himself to a generous dollop of cheese and plopped it down on top of the slice of galette that tasted kind of bland after everything else.

"Yes I did. I'm kinda in charge of the crime lab, Sid it's my job to meet everybody. What's your point?" Mac asked cutting into the improved slice of tart and munched thoughtfully on it. Sid of course had to try it and actually gave his nod of approval.

"I should have made a cream cheese base for the pears." Sid said in his defense when Mac raised an eyebrow at him again and stuck another bite of desert into his mouth. "Stella Bonasera," Sid said the woman's name whose face he'd forgotten until that moment making her image pop into his head again. "Nice name. Kind of sounds like someone else we knew. Could be her." Sid mused. Mac groaned inwardly as he should have known that was where Sid was going all along.

"Stella Wentworth is not the same person, Sid. Ms. Bonasera has an Italian father even if she also happens to have a Greek mother. She isn't the same. I haven't gotten a letter from her in over ten years for all I know she's married and has ten kids by now. Bonasera is single, never married, and according to her physical has never even been pregnant. As for her dating life I'm not the least bit interested." He added scooping the last bite of food into his mouth before getting up to put the plate in the sink and turn on the faucet. Mac didn't want to voice his real concern, that Stella Wentworth was just as dead as his wife Claire since it was around 9/11 that he had stopped receiving her letters.

Mac pumped a few squirts of dish soap into the sink and began washing dishes. Even if Sid had used more dishes than Mac normally did in a week there still weren't enough to justify using the dishwasher. Besides he wanted to keep his hands busy though his real goal was to try and clear his thoughts of Stella Bonasera's image – however it had been already burnt into his retinas. Sid finished his galette, gave him the remaining dishes, and set about putting the rest away. The two of them would have leftovers for lunch the next day and then some. Sid couldn't do things small when it came to food but that's what happened when your previous employment was in a high class restaurant.

Sid had been with the family the longest – going on eight years – when his parents were killed but who knew how long he would have stayed otherwise. Mac had learned more about his friend and former servant in the years to follow than he ever had previously. Sid had stayed in New York to oversee his affairs while Mac was in the marines. No matter where Mac was stationed Sid was sure to follow except during a deployment.

When he returned to the states he discovered a new side of Sid, the family man. While Mac overseas Sid had married a teacher and his wife, Mary, was already four months along. After his he was given an honorable discharge for wounds sustained in enemy territory Mac moved back to New York. Sid of course packed up his young family and followed once more though Mac had given him an honorable discharge of his own. Mac asked Sid once why he stayed with him even though he wasn't obligated but Sid shrugged his shoulders and said old habits were like employers, they were hard to get rid of.

Mac supposed the man felt some sense of indebtedness after he had gone through the trouble of setting the man up for life even though it was compensation for services already rendered. He didn't know what he would have done without Sid all those years but he was grateful he didn't have to consider the alternative. The man had become more than just a friend but the father figure Mac had always wanted.

As he allowed his thoughts to wander, they inevitably returned to Stella Bonasera the newest member of his investigation unit. He dwelt on the brown curls that framed her face, the graceful arch of her neck, the curve of her hips as she stormed out of his office, but what stuck him the most were those green eyes. They bored into his soul with the same intensity as another Stella's had long ago. At that he shook his head angrily refusing to see any connection to that helpless girl he'd saved.

Ms. Bonasera was a good year or two older than Stella Wentworth. Physical similarities aside, the irritating woman shared no resemblance with the angelic child he'd pulled from the wreckage of that station wagon. Bonasera was quick tempered, disputatious, incorrigible, feisty, gorgeous, passionate… Mac stopped his thoughts short before they could go any further. That was not what he wanted to be thinking of about a woman twelve years his junior and beside he already had a woman in his life. He wasn't looking for another relationship let alone with a woman who drove him to distraction.

"I know that look." Sid spoke up at his elbow startling him. Mac hadn't noticed the man sneak up on him and he cursed at himself for allowing his guard down so easily. In a situation out on the street that could have gotten him killed. He had to rid himself of that woman's contagion.

"There is no look Sid." Mac shot back having spent years mastering the technique of schooling his features.

"Not in the face perhaps but your eyes tell a different story, My Friend." Sid replied. Mac couldn't argue with that though he wanted to, he had very expressive eyes which was why he tried so hard not to let his face show what he was thinking. Some people said he had the facial features of a statue but spending several weeks in the hands of Islamic terrorists being tortured kind of did that to him. He was one of the lucky few to have survived the ordeal, his men weren't so fortunate. Mac absently rubbed the scar over his heart as he remembered the guys under him who'd been killed by those same terrorists.

"Stop that," Sid commanded. Mac glanced up at the older man and saw the look in his eyes. Sid knew that Mac had slipped back into feeling guilty over the loss of his men and was reprimanding him for allowing the blame to take hold once more. There was nothing Mac could have done as he was forced to watch his men get executed, the doctors labeled it survivor's guilt but it was so much more. They had been Mac's responsibility and he couldn't save them, he couldn't save any of them.

"Mac," Sid warned once more and Mac nodded looking away. Sid didn't press the matter further; they'd been down that road before having the same argument time and time again. "I was talking about the other look," Sid chuckled. "You know the one, the one that says you're trying to convince yourself of all the reasons not to do something when you already know it's a hopeless case." He persisted.

"Sid I am not trying to convince myself of anything concerning that Bonasera woman." Mac declared with a determined set to his chin.

"You said it not me. I didn't even mention her name." Sid played the innocent.

"I know you Sid. You haven't stopped talking about her since the dessert course you might not have said it out loud but your silence is quite loud." Mac replied.

"So is your, Mac. You've been stewing over something since you got home care to enlighten me?" Sid urged. Mac sighed and shook his head knowing he couldn't win against the man he'd known for longer than his own parents.

"You know I enjoy teasing the new hires well she seemed to have handled it fairly well compared with the last few who didn't stick around. I take her out on the first call of the day and she somehow manages to take over the investigation." Mac vented his frustrations to an understanding ear.

"In other words you didn't get to saddle her with the 'rookie stuff'," Sid observed sipping a cup of coffee which had Mac had failed to notice he'd even made.

"I spent two hours climbing through the sewer this afternoon looking for someone's ear, Sid. I haven't had to get my hands dirty like that since I was a rookie." Mac complained. Sid turned away from him but not before he noticed a smile start to form on the older man's mouth.

"Let me guess you were caught unprepared and ruined your favorite pair of shoes." Sid said after clearing his throat trying to hide the fact that he taking pleasure in hearing about Mac's misery. Mac sighed, he should have known better than to give into Sid's prodding quickly thinking of ways to get the man back.

"Patten leather, Sid, those don't come cheap you know." Mac said in his defense.

"Maybe Stella knew you needed a new pair of shoes. How old are those things?" Sid questioned.

"They were comfortable," Mac shot back.

"You could take the cost out of Ms. Bonasera' pay," Sid suggested.

"It's not the cost that bugs me, Sid…Claire bought them for me." Mac admitted then fell into a brooding silence.

"I know they held sentimental value for you, Mac, but that's not what's really bothering you about that woman, is it?" Sid correctly assumed. Mac sighed, finished fixing his cup of coffee the way he liked it, and then sank into his seat at the table. Mac took a few drinks before sighing again.

"I can't get her image out of my head. It's bugging the heck out of me. It's like it was after I lost Claire, I'd walk into a room and see her standing there as she was really in the room but then she would disappear all over again." Mac confessed.

"But in Stella's case, the image doesn't disappear." Sid stated knowingly.

"She's not Stella, Sid; my Stella was a little girl I rescued from a car accident back in Maine." Mac insisted.

"All little girls grow up, Mac, you never know it might really be her. I know you lost contact with her around the same time we buried Claire but have you ever tried contacting the law firm to see if she's still receiving money from the trust fund?" Sid inquired. Mac sighed and shook his head again.

"I've been too afraid to learn the truth to call Fred." Mac admitted.

"Because it's easier to pretend she's still alive than to find out she might be dead?" Sid cut to the heart of Mac's reluctance to call Fredrick Price, his father's old partner. "That's a silly reason Mac, the likely hood of her still being alive is greater than that of her having died in the towers. The average number of…" Sid began.

"I know the stats Sid," Mac abruptly cut him off not wanting to hear the figures again. If only he'd listened to his own gut and convinced Claire to stay home that day. Like so many other people who listened to their instincts which told them not to go into work that fateful day, Mac had felt something too. While he'd told Claire about it she'd just laughed him off and told him he worried too much then went to work like normal.

He'd been uptown at a crime scene when it happened and just like the rest of the nation couldn't believe it was really happening though, like much of the tri-state area, he'd felt and heard the towers fall. He'd kept telling himself that Claire had gotten out, that she was still alive, or that maybe she had turned around and gone home after all. He couldn't bring himself to believe that she was gone when he'd finally made it to the scene. In spite of everything, there was that small part of him that prayed she was still alive out there somewhere. He still didn't want to accept the truth, that she was gone. Albeit he'd attended her funeral – sans corpse, moved on with his life, and formed a relationship with another woman he'd never really moved on with his life.

Peyton didn't seem to mind as she spent the majority of her time in London but he knew there was a rift between them. He wasn't sure how he felt about Peyton. He liked being in a relationship but no one could compare to his wife. He also knew it wasn't fair for Peyton that he couldn't love her as she deserved but she had been the one to pursue him. While he hadn't started the relationship he was determined to not be the one to end it. He was a one girl kind of guy as he didn't like complications multiple relationships could bring.

Claire wasn't the only one he couldn't let go of, when he'd told her about Stella Wentworth she'd always referred to her as 'the other woman' or 'his Stella'. Mac had left everything up to the lawyers after laying the structure of care he wanted to give her. Fred had taken care of everything else after he'd given him Sheriff Kane's contact information. The only contact he'd had of her were the letters he'd stopped receiving ten years ago.

Every now and then he'd pull out her letters and read them over again. They would always bring a smile to his face no matter how many times he read them. They showed a progression from the very first letter a nurse probably helped her to write to the one she sent telling him which college she'd chosen to attend. Perhaps she had always been the woman in his life though he'd never pursued a relationship with her. Mainly because of the age gap but also because he felt as though he'd be taking advantage of her. She'd already been through so much he didn't want to add anything more on top of everything else.

He didn't want to see the connection that Stella Bonasera had with his Stella but he couldn't deny the similarities. In fact Bonasera was the exact embodiment he'd envisioned of the grown up Stella Wentworth; strong and independent with just of spark of temper but a heart full of compassion. That was the image he'd had of his Stella all those years ago when he saw those green eyes staring up at him. Maybe that was what had effected him the most by the fiery Greek who'd come to work at the lab, the fact that she resembled his Stella more than he cared to admit to anyone else.

"…drinks with Hawkes after work…" Something Sid was saying brought him out of the dark place he'd sunk into.

"What was that?" Mac interrupted the conversation Sid was having with himself as he'd zoned out several minutes before.

"Sheldon and I were discussing the mating habits of fresh water…" Sid began causing Mac to shake his head.

"The part about Hawkes having a drink with someone." Mac clarified.

"Oh it seems Stella and Sheldon went to the same college together and became good friends. Since they hadn't seen each other in a while they made a date to have a few drinks together." Sid informed him. Mac's ears zeroed in on the word 'date' and felt his anger begin to flare. He set his nearly empty cup of coffee on the table and stormed out of the room.

He went to the hall table where he left his badge, gun, and phone handy so he couldn't just grab everything along with his keys and walk out the door when he got a call. His cell phone was routed to his home phone when he set it into the jack beside the door. He grabbed his cell phone and headed into his home office so he could make a call without Sid prying. He dialed the number he was trying to reach and waited for the phone to pick up.

"Bonasera," Came the inevitable reply. His heart skipped a beat despite all his attempts to get it to follow his commands.

"Your shift starts at nine o'clock in the morning, Detective. Which mean you should be in the building or on the premises no later than eight forty-five a.m. Where are you?" He demanded.

"With a friend not that it's any of your business, Detective Taylor. You may be my boss when I'm on the clock but I'm in charge of what I do and where I go when I'm off the clock. Good-bye." She declared in that infuriating manner of hers and started to hang up the phone.

"Wait…" Mac called after her though he was unsure of the reason. There was a pregnant pause before he heard her breathe a sigh as she brought it back to her ear.

"What?" She asked in a slightly softer if no less frustrated tone. He felt stupid because he couldn't think of anything to say.

"That report, did you put it on my desk before you left work?" Mac asked fishing for anything that would keep her on the phone a second longer.

"Is that what you called me about at ten o'clock at night?" Bonasera asked incredulously.

"Yes, it's important we wrap up cases quickly." He replied.

"Then the answer is no since I didn't know you required a report before we've finished going over all of the evidence. As I recall it was your idea to send everyone home early but then your instructions weren't explicit. You didn't explain the fact that you wanted me to stay late and go over the hundreds of trace, physical, and biological samples with a fine tooth comb on my own. Maybe you want me to do the autopsy by myself as well though it was already scheduled for tomorrow by someone who knows what they're doing. I guess I could just make stuff up seeing as tox results aren't in yet either and the DNA samples we collected are on back order. I might could manage those if I studied the manuals for the equipment but don't expect them to be admissible in court." Stella shot back angrily and deep down he knew he deserved that but it got is dander up.

"There's no need to take that tone with me, Detective. I expect you to do your job not scrub the floors on your hands and knees. All I asked was whether you had drawn up a file on the Sandler Murder we covered this afternoon. I require the same from all of my CI's." Mac countered.

"Good because I don't sing and I can't talk to animals. Good night, Detective Taylor." Stella said hanging up before he could jam his foot any further down his throat. A vision of Cinderella singing to friendly forest animals from the Walt Disney version of the age old fairy tale in popped into his head and he couldn't resist the urge to laugh.

By the time Sid found him in the study Mac was laughing so hard he couldn't explain that the picture he'd had of Stella covered in soot with a handkerchief tied around her head scrubbing floors was what threw him into a fit of hysterics. Claire had loved that movie and after four years of marriage she had finally convinced him to sit down and watch it with her. Though he'd suffered greatly for it then he couldn't help find the humor in it now. While the typical symbol of a damsel in distress didn't fit Stella Bonasera's image he could imagine she would steal the show at any ball she attended.

"Mac?" Sid asked when he finally sobered at the thought of Stella in a revealing ball gown.

"It's nothing Sid. I just had to make a call. I'll see you tomorrow." Mac told his former servant. The turn around was almost instant as he no longer felt like laughing. He assured the man a few more times that everything was fine before he headed up to his room. He closed and locked the door wishing the image of Stella Bonasera would leave him in peace. He was left with the disturbing picture of the revealing ball gown Stella draped over the arm of Sheldon Hawkes which made him seek the welcome distraction of a cold shower. That haunting snapshot of her that was burned into his mind was going to be the death of him someday.


	4. Chapter 4: Nightmares

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter 4: Nightmares

The last thing Stella wanted to do that evening was think about her boss in any shape or form except perhaps blended up in a processor and poured out over the Hudson bay. She was a CSI she was certain she could commit the murder without leaving any trace and get back to the bar in time to meet Sheldon except for one little hurdle… she didn't know where the victim lived. Stella sighed and took a sip from her glass of wine thinking of all the ways she could kill one Mac Taylor and get away with it.

"I'm pretty sure murdering the boss is illegal Stella," The familiar voice of her friend and co-worker, Sheldon Hawkes said from behind. He bent over her, kissed her cheek, and joined her at the table before she had a chance to stand up to greet him.

"I can dream can't I?" She asked not denying the fact that it was on her mind. Even after the length of time they hadn't seen each other he was good at reading her tells.

"I guess there are no laws against that as long as you don't carry through with them." He chuckled before placing his order with the waitress who came to the table upon seeing his arrival. "Just have pity on me as I'd probably be the one to do the autopsy. Sid is a personal friend of Mac's." Sheldon explained why he'd have to put on an ME's coat again after laying it down to be a field agent.

"You can't tell me you got the same treatment when you first came on the job, Sheldon." Stella insisted.

"Actually the first time out in the field I was scraping some guy's brains off the sidewalk after he fell from a sky scraper. Then on another case I was so busy I hardly had time to eat anything. So when I finally got a chance to grab a few bites Mac finds me in the break room and wants to know if I'd found anything yet. I told him I only needed five minutes to finish eating then I'd get right on it." Sheldon explained pausing when the waitress brought his drink back to the table.

"What did he say?" Stella asked curiously.

"That eating was frowned upon," Sheldon said with a chuckle though Stella was sure he didn't think it was so funny at the time. "I got a bit of a reprieve when Lindsey came to work but then she was too fun to pick on, she from Montana and a bit out of her element even though she worked in a big city before coming here. Nowhere can prepare you for living in New York." Sheldon admitted being as he also wasn't a native to the city though he had lived there longer than his home town back in Iowa.

"Yeah Lindsey told me about the bet Mac and Danny had about the bug." Stella commented. Sheldon broke out into a grin and shook his head.

"Danny and I were working this case about a woman who'd been suffocated by eating a live Octopus. We go to question the chef of a party she'd attended the night before and Danny eats a live centipede. Later after we wrap up the case Danny brings back a bunch of dishes the guy's made and Lindsey eats a deep fried spider on a stick. You should have seen the look on his face when she ate it. I don't know, Stella, I've eaten a few crazy things in my time but I'm just not up for eating anything still alive let alone an insect." Sheldon shivered and took a sip of his drink as if to wash the taste out of his mouth.

"Me either. I prefer to leave the worm in the bottle of tequila personally." She replied.

"I know your first day was a bit harsh but it couldn't have been all bad, could it?" Sheldon asked as the waitress brought them their plates of food. "Suddenly I'm not very hungry," he remarked and after the conversation they'd just had she couldn't blame him. She couldn't help but carefully inspect her own entrée to make sure there were no added bonuses.

"No, I guess not." Stella agreed thinking back to the crime scene they'd processed earlier that day. "I just waned to prove to Taylor that I knew what I was doing so I didn't wait to be given an assignment. Maybe I pushed a little too hard because he wasn't happy with me by the time we got back to the crime lab. I've been a CI for seven years Sheldon I shouldn't be treated like a rookie." She defended her actions.

"You don't have to tell me, I also happen to know your one of the best CI's in the city but so does Mac. He does a thorough check on all of the people he lets into the lab. He won't agree to hire anyone he doesn't approve of personally. We process data collected from all over the city and surrounding areas. We're one of the top crime labs in the country. We have to be good at what we do and Mac can't afford to have someone sloppy on the team. Maybe we do pick on the new guys a little but it just a way to relieve a little bit of stress, hey if you can wade through sewage all day and are still willing to come back to work the next then you're crime lab material." Sheldon replied deciding he was hungry after all.

"I didn't have to climb through the sewers," Stella commented making Sheldon look up at her in surprise.

"But I'd heard… thats why Mac was so upset." Sheldon laughed. "Rookies are usually relegated to that sort of thing. He probably didn't bother to take a pair of boots or any overalls thinking he'd make you do all the dirty work." he added his eyes dancing with amusement. "The first case Lindsey worked on she had to dig body parts out of tiger dung and then the week after that Mac had her dumpster diving. Oh, I bet he wasn't too happy with you for not playing the game." He chuckled.

"If he thinks I'm just going to sit there and take it then he's got another thing coming." She said with a stubborn tilt to her head.

"You know what I think?" Sheldon inquired. She looked up at him waiting for him to answer. "I think the two of you are a lot alike." He observed. She opened her mouth to object but he held his hands up. "Just hear me out. You're both detail oriented, dedicated to the job, driven, confident people but you are also both compassionate with the victims and their families. Not to mention as stubborn as pit bulls, once you get your teeth sunk into solving a crime you don't let go easily. You know what they say about like minded personalities, they tend to come to blows. The two of you are also different in some aspects as well. I think given time the two of you can work really well together and maybe even become friends. I mean look at the two of us, we weren't even on speaking terms at first." Sheldon offered.

"Well yeah but that's because you're a year older than me and way out of my league. I mean you were this brilliant senior on his last year of college when I was just a freshman. I didn't know what to say to you that wouldn't sound stupid since you had high scores in subjects I couldn't even pronounce let alone understand." Stella protested. "Me and Taylor are like on opposite ends of the solar system. He's so harsh." She said with a little pout.

"I think harsh is a bit strong. He was in the Marine Corps before he became a cop. He's a bit tough at times yeah but only when it counts. You should see him with a victim, Stella, he can be really gentle and caring when he needs to be. Don't be so quick to judge him on your first day on the job. He likes things to run smoothly and you just threw a few rocks into the works this afternoon. He'll loosen up around you in a few days you'll see." Sheldon assured her. Stella shrugged her shoulders and they returned their attention to the food.

The conversation moved on to other things, the two of them catching up on what had been happening in their lives in the last five years since Sheldon walked away from the operating room. Stella filled him in on the boyfriend she'd had a few years ago and how she'd put a restraining order on him before shooting him in self defense. It was still difficult talking about it but it was a little easier than it had been when it first happened.

She wasn't ready to start a new relationship with another guy as there were still wounds that hadn't completely healed yet. The last time she'd tried going out with someone she realized she wasn't ready when she shied away from physical contact. The man had been very understanding and they had parted ways on amicable terms. Maybe it had helped that he'd been a fellow police officer, they'd met on a crime scene and still worked a few cases together. They had become good friends and she had been the first to hear about his new girlfriend, another cop. She'd met the woman a few times and thought the two of them were well suited and was happy he'd found a good girl.

Like most women Stella still held on to the hopes of that special someone out there for only them; like most little girl dream about when they're little. Despite everything she'd gone through in the past she still clung to that dream. She wasn't exactly sure who he was but the face she saw in her dreams was a kind face with blue eyes and the nicest smile.

She had never met him but she had a feeling he was someone from her past rather than just her imagination. Thirty years ago when she woke up in a hospital and was told her mother was dead her world had come crashing in on her. She'd also been told about her rescuer and she couldn't help hold to the idea that the face she had seen was that of her savior.

The man who'd saved her was possibly tied to her benefactor but of that she couldn't be certain. The lawyer who held her trust fund refused to divulge any information about his client as the man was his chief concern while she was merely the beneficiary of a living trust. The name she'd been given by the lawyer, the one she addressed the letters to, was Boyd Jenkins but she had begun to wonder if it wasn't just an alias to cover up his real identity. She had done considerable research on the law firm of Taylor and Pierce only to find that they had a very exclusive but diverse clientele.

Their clients were usually multi-billion dollar financiers and jetsetters. Most of whom preferred keeping their affairs private and none of whom had ties to the part of Maine where she was found. The worst of it was that there were no records for a Boyd Jenkins anywhere living in Maine or the state of New York. It was as if he had appeared from the heavens one night to rescue her then dropped off the face of the earth once again. Except for the letters he'd stipulated in her instructions there was nothing to say the man even existed.

If someone out there had received her letters then he had to have wanted to know something about her but why had he cut himself off so completely? Didn't he at least consider the fact that she would have wanted to say thank you for saving her life? She still wrote to him every year and though she no longer expected birthday presents she'd always send him one wishing him a Merry Christmas. She had long ago given up hopes of receiving an answer back though when she was little she'd eagerly await the mailman to see if she might have gotten a letter in return.

The presents she'd received all those years ago had never had anything on it except a printed note saying 'for Stella'. One present did stand out to her from among all the rest however. In addition to the present she had asked for, there was a blue box that said Tiffany's on it and when she'd opened it there was a beautiful strand of pearls. The note that arrived with that gift had been hand written not printed like the others and read 'To Stella, Happy Sixteenth Birthday." That simple message was her only clue that there really was a human being behind the otherwise false identity.

After gaining status as a CI Stella had put that particular note through every sort of test there was to find a comparable match but they always came back negative. She knew that the note was written by someone with a steady hand, confident, and determined but other than that she knew nothing about her mysterious benefactor. Stella had fallen into a silent contemplation that when her cell rang and startled her out of it was the first time she noticed her companion was gone.

"Bonasera," Stella answered.

"Your shift starts at nine o'clock in the morning, Detective." Came the unmistakable voice of the man himself. "Which means you should be in the building or on the premises no later than eight forty-five a.m. Where are you?" Mac Taylor demanded. Oh, why did it have to be him of all people?

"With a friend not that it's any of your business, Detective Taylor. You may be my boss when I'm on the clock but I'm in charge of what I do and where I go when I'm off the clock. Good-bye." She told him resolutely.

"Wait…" She heard him say just as she moved the phone from her ear. She sighed and brought the phone back to her ear just as Sheldon returned to the table.

'Bathroom' he mouthed to her silent question of where he'd disappeared to.

"What?" She asked the receiver, both mildly annoyed as well as curious though she wouldn't admit it out loud. Maybe he was calling to apologize for his behavior earlier that day.

"That report, did you put it on my desk before you left work?" He requested. She looked at her watch and shook her head.

"Is that what you called me about at ten o'clock at night?" Stella asked incredulously.

"Yes, it's important we wrap up cases quickly." He told her as though she were too stupid to know that.

"Then the answer is no since I didn't know you required a report before we've finished going over all of the evidence. As I recall it was your idea to send everyone home early but then your instructions weren't explicit. You didn't clarify that you wanted me to stay late and go over the hundreds of trace, physical, and biological samples with a fine tooth comb on my own. Maybe you want me to do the autopsy by myself as well though it was already scheduled for tomorrow by someone who knows what they're doing. I guess I could just make stuff up seeing as tox results aren't in yet either and the DNA samples we collected are on back order. I might could manage those if I studied the manuals for the equipment but don't expect them to be admissible in court." Stella threw back at him upset that he had the audacity to treat her like someone straight out of the academy.

"There's no need to take that tone with me, Detective. I expect you to do your job not scrub the floors on your hands and knees. All I asked was whether you had drawn up a file on the Sandler Murder we covered this afternoon. I require the same from all of my CI's." He said on the defensive.

"Good because I don't sing and I can't talk to animals. Good night, Detective Taylor." Stella declared and hung up the phone. "I can't believe that man! Who does he think he is? Who does he think I am?" She asked in frustration.

"I don't guess the two of you will become friends any time soon." Sheldon spoke up after she'd finished the string of every Greek curse word she could think of and a few she'd repeated for good measure. She glared daggers at him and he chuckled. "I'll take that as a no." He shook his head.

"Danny told me you came to work late today. Mac was probably just making sure you weren't staying out late partying though I'm pretty sure he's never done that done before. Don't get me wrong he usually calls to check up on us when he knows we're going through stuff or were injured in the line of duty." Sheldon said coming to Mac's defense. Stella shook her head in disgust thoroughly annoyed at both men at the moment but she could never stay mad at Sheldon for long. Mac Taylor on the other hand was a different matter all together.

"Look I can't order you to like the man Stella, not that you'd obey me anyway but give him a chance. You could always go back to your old unit." He offered when she cast him a disparaging look.

"And give him the satisfaction? Never! He'll have to fire me if he wants rid of me that easily." She determined.

"Good for you. It will be nice having another friendly face at work. It is getting late though and I promised Sid I'd help out on that autopsy you offered to do by yourself… not a pretty picture by the way. I'm going to head off so I can jump into the shower tonight. I never get any hot water if I wait and take one in the morning." Sheldon told her drawing the evening to a close, not that she'd been there the entire time anyway.

"Okay, I'll see you tomorrow then. I wasn't really going to attempt dissecting a corpse even if he'd asked me to." She smiled and stood up to give him a hug.

"Want to share a cab?" Sheldon offered but Stella shook her head.

"I'm not far, I'll walk from here." She replied him.

"This late at night, you sure?" He questioned her decision as the occurrence of crime went up considerably when the sun came down.

"I'll be fine. I'm just around the corner and I'm still wearing my gun. I went for a walk after work and haven't been home yet." She assured him. He nodded his head and said good night before kissing her cheek. She watched him hail a cab to see him safely back to his own apartment then headed down the street towards home.

Anger and determination guided her march back to her apartment unmolested. She locked the door behind her and settled into her nightly ritual but she was too frustrated to sleep. She took a shower to help cool her temper not in the mood for a bath. Instead of finding comfort in her usual routine she couldn't get the irritating man's voice out of her head. It seemed to be mocking her. She wanted to scream but for the sake of her neighbors she held it in and chose to pace instead.

Stella could only think of one thing that usually calmed her nerves when everything else failed. She went to her desk, grabbed a piece of paper and pencil, and started writing. Besides the yearly letter she wrote to her benefactor she would often write him about the things that were going on in her life. She never sent most of them but summarized highlights that she felt comfortable sharing in the one she did. It was a way for her to share her thoughts with someone even though they would probably never read them. It was more therapeutic than writing in a diary.

This time she told him everything about her new job and in particular her boss, one annoying Mac Taylor. She listed all of his faults and then for lack of anything else to say also listed all of his accommodations. She wanted Boyd Jenkins to know which Mac Taylor she was referring to. He'd been in the papers so often in the last few years that he was a minor celebrity in his own right. She was certain her benefactor would be able to place him from the pictures in the articles.

She also described the man like she did a suspect so there wouldn't be any confusion. White male, brown hair, ears small but well formed, nondescript mouth – with no lips to speak of – which listed a little to the left possibly a caused by the scar in the same corner, plain nose medium width, eyes blue slightly puffy and blood shot – probably due to lack of sleep, height approximately five feet ten inches, medium build, and though he writes with his right hand uses his left predominantly. That trait spoke of his either being forced to switch to using his right hand when he was in school or was caused by an old injury that made him use his left for a long period of time making him slightly ambidextrous. She hadn't noticed his feet so she couldn't be sure, it was proven that right handed people also had a dominant right leg and vise versa. She made a mental note to notice next time.

It was his eyes that haunted her though, some thing about them seemed almost… familiar. Stella shook her head ruling that assumption out immediately. There was no way they could be familiar as, other than seeing him on television or seeing a picture of him in the newspaper, Stella had never met Mac Taylor. She had seen him speak once at a police banquet but after he was done speaking he'd returned to his table where he sat with the woman she'd assumed was his wife. She had been sitting too far away at that event to get a good look at his eyes and she had left not long afterwards.

She knew Mac by his reputation and had actually looked forward to working with him. That was until she had met the man and now all she wanted to do was give him a good swift kick in the rear end.

Still those eyes… they say the eyes are the windows to the soul. If that was the case then Mac Taylor was in possession of a soul with a very deep well as they threatened to drown her if she looked into his eyes for too long. Those blue eyes were like beacons, both drawing her into safe harbor as well as warning her of danger ahead.

If the man didn't get under her skin so bad she might say that Mac Taylor was attractive, not that she was going to tell her benefactor that tidbit of information. She didn't even want to admit it to herself but if she were to analyze things objectively then the truth was Mac Taylor was a very handsome man.

For a few minutes that afternoon she had even seen him smile and joking with a police woman on the scene before he'd turn serious again. In those few brief minutes when the smile softened his stony features and the laughter made his eyes sparkle it had made her heart skip a beat which she had just attributed to indigestion.

Clearing her mind a little of her tormentor Stella finished the letter by catching Boyd up on what had happened over the past year and told him she was still fine. She also admitted her frustration and confusion about her conflicting emotions concerning her boss.

Even though she knew he'd never reply talking things out in her head and putting them down on paper helped. By the time she had said all she wanted to say the letter was several pages long. She stuck it in an envelope, sealed it up, and addressed it to the same P.O. Box she always did. She would mail it first thing in the morning on her way to work; it was about time to send a new one anyway.

Stella did a few other things she needed to get done and headed for bed. She desperately tried to go to sleep but every time she closed her eyes all she could see was the face of Detective Taylor. When she did finally fall asleep she dreamt of her savior again the same as she had done many a night for the last thirty years. This time the young man with the curly brown hair who sat on the edge of her bed transformed into the face of Mac. Then the dream turned into a nightmare where he was the wicked stepmother who made her scrub the floor of the crime lab on her hands and knees refusing to let her go to the ball.


	5. Chapter 5: Truce

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter 5: Truce

Mac Taylor did not sleep though it might be more appropriate to say could not. He lay awake all night tormented by images of Bonasera. Some of them a bit terrifying but mostly they were overly stimulating. He couldn't imagine why he had that kind of dream about a woman he couldn't stand but he wound up take more than one cold shower in the middle of the night. That said he wasn't a very happy camper the next day and his usual morning jog didn't help rid her from his thoughts either. This was turning out to be one of those days when it would have been better to just stay in bed rather than getting out of it. Not that it was any better than being awake but everything just seemed to be going wrong.

After getting home from his jog Mac had tried to take a decent shower only to be blasted by cold water which startled him making him get soap in his eyes. In addition to everything else Sid had left early to do the autopsy on their vic from the Sandler case leaving Mac to make his own coffee. It wasn't that Mac didn't know how to make his own coffee, he did and he usually liked the taste of it. Then the coffee maker chose that morning to spit hot liquid and grounds all over the counter.

After he'd gotten the mess cleaned up and a fresh pot made –without incident luckily, the coffee tasted bitter as though it had been left on the burner overnight. He liked his coffee strong not burned and once he'd added the cream it tasted like dirty dish soap.

By the time he actually left the house he found the narrow one way street blocked by a moving truck. How the truck had managed to squeeze passed his car without scraping the paint was a miracle in and of itself but there was no where to go. Mac sighed walked to the end of the side street and tried hailing a cab but to no avail. He walked a bit further down the block to a more trafficked area but still found catching a taxi difficult.

He sighed wondering if this was some sort of divine retribution as though the heavens had somehow taken Ms. Bonasera's side. Mac resigned himself to taking the subway only to find he didn't have any cash when he got down there and the ticket machine almost ate his bank card. Finally managing to get the card back as well as his ticket Mac boarded the relatively empty train. He glanced around but after some of the things they'd found on a subway cars like that he just couldn't bring himself to sit.

Just as he thought he'd be by himself on this ride a flood of morning commuters rushed into the compartment quickly pressing in on him. Since he didn't want his gun possibly stolen or to accidentally go off he tapped on the driver compartment flashed his badge and asked admittance. The engineer allowed him in and they took off relatively unhampered, things were going good until the train's brakes locked up stopping it dead in it's tracks. He should have known it was too easy, this wasn't going to be his day at all.

As with all the other passengers, Mac had to disembark the train in the middle of a tunnel and walk to the next station. Station security was there guiding people making sure they didn't get off track. When he flashed his badge Mac was allowed to cut out of line but to avoid any other stupid stuff from happening Mac paid extra attention to his surroundings and managed to get to the hub in due time. He headed above ground and tried hailing a cab again but still to no effect.

Taking account of his surroundings he realized to his dismay he was on the wrong side of town. Mac sighed and shook his head wondering which of the fates was having fun at his expense toying with him like a puppet on a string. He sighed and made his way to the nearest precinct hoping he could acquisition a pair of wheels so he could drive himself to work.

Luckily he was known at that precinct even if all of the guys didn't like him much he still had one friend he could count on. When he walked into the building however he noticed there was hardly anyone in the office most of the desks were empty including that of his friend. His heart sank even further than it already had and he sighed leaning against the nearest desk. Could this day get any worse?

"Hey Mac, what are you doing here? Slummin'?" A familiar voice asked coming from the back of the department. Mac looked up and smiled in relief at his friend.

"You would not believe the day I've had." Mac told him.

"What? It's not even ten o'clock wait a bit it's bound to get worse. Murphy's law right?" The other detective chuckled. Mac glared at him.

"Is it that late already?" Mac asked looking up at the clock on the wall before checking the watch on his wrist just to be sure. He couldn't believe he hadn't even looked at his watch but with everything that had happened it had never crossed his mind.

"Nine forty-five on the nose why you got a hot date or somethin'?" the other man asked. Mac rolled his eyes and shook his head.

"I'm just trying to get to the office. I need to get down to the garage and sign for a car." Mac told him.

"No can do Mac, they're running drills today. Sorry, it's just me, Henry and a few other guys most of the cars are out on the street." He was told. Mac put his face in his hand and shook his head. "Look if it's important I can give you a lift. I've got something to drop off there anyway." His friend offered.

"That's the best offer I've had today, thanks Flack I owe you one." Mac accepted gratefully.

"Had many offers today?" Detective Donald Flack Jr. wanted to know. He went to get his keys from his desk. He also took his gun and badge out of his bottom drawer before joining Mac who waited by the door.

"Everything from someone wanting to give me their phone number at the train station to an Arnold Schwarzenegger look alike offering to teach me the proper breathing technique when I was out for a jog this morning," Mac explained.

"Yeah I bet. Did you offer to give him your number?" Flack teased. Mac just groaned and shook his head.

"She wasn't really my type." Mac corrected.

"Ouch, that's a scary thought." Flack replied and led the way to the front of the building where his assigned vehicle sat at the curb.

"You have no idea. Here," Mac said pulling a piece of paper out of his pocket and handed it to Flack as they got into the car. Flack took the slip and stared at it.

"What's this for?" Flack wanted to know.

"The person who gave me their number this morning in the subway, you can pull him in for soliciting an off duty cop." Mac replied. Flack rolled his eyes and stuck the piece of paper in his notebook on the seat between them. Flack pulled out into the road and headed in the right direction for the crime lab.

Mac sat back and laid his head on the seat. He definitely liked the view from up here better not that Flack was his own personal chauffer. It had been many years since anyone had driven Mac anywhere at least since 9/11 and Flack had been in the driver's seat then too. Don Flack Sr. had been Mac's partner when he first joined the force back in '93 and he knew the family well. It was understandable that Flack Jr. had been affected by Claire's death also, he was as much of Mac's family as he was theirs.

If it hadn't been for Flack and Sid, Mac may never have survived the loss of his wife. Flack kept him from throwing caution to the wind while Sid made sure he ate and took care of himself. Perhaps what hit him the hardest when Claire died was the fact that they had argued the night before and he'd slept in another room. He kept telling himself that if they hadn't quarreled the night before then maybe she wouldn't have been in such a hurry to get out of the house the next day. He couldn't even remember what the argument was about but he was sure he could have convinced her to stay otherwise.

"Yo, sleeping beauty we're here." Flack spoke making Mac open his eyes which he didn't realize had slipped closed. He looked over at the younger man with a quirk of his brow. "What? I don't make it a habit of calling another guy handsome." Don said in his defense.

"I guess that makes you Prince Charming then." Mac replied getting out of the car.

"No way, not on your life. If there happens to be a girl who needs rescuing maybe," Flack hastened to add getting something out of the trunk of his car. He lifted the evidence box out and slammed the trunk closed before starting towards the door.

"If that's for evidence I can take it from here." Mac offered.

"Nope, this is a personal delivery for a friend of mine. I promised I'd give it to her myself." He replied. Mac shrugged his shoulders and the two of them headed into Police headquarters together.

The crime lab was actually in the new building annex but it was faster going through the connector via the old building. It took a few minutes but pretty soon they were on the pedestrian bridge to the annex and hitting the elevator up to the correct floor. Mac leaned back against the wall of the elevator staring at the floor counting the hours 'til he could go home and return to the bed he never should have left. He wondered if the day could get any worse then the ding from the elevator that signaled their arrival made him look up. The doors swung open to reveal the woman herself who'd made sleep nearly impossible last night. He sighed inwardly, the day just got worse.

"You're late." She told him as though she'd been waiting for him to arrive. She allowed him and Flack to get off the elevator before shoving a file in his face.

"What's this?" He asked curiously, opening it.

"That file you requested at ten o'clock last night. The tox screen came back with traces of benzodiazepine, more specifically Valium. The victim was taking it for anxiety attacks and for insomnia. We found a prescription bottle when we checked out their apartment even though there were no traces of it at the scene. Also the dirt we pulled from under the victim's nail and hair traced back to dirt outside the victim's house so we think the first attack happened there and the suspect either chased after our vic or threw them into the vehicle and dumped them at the scene. You'll also find the coroner's preliminary report, cause of death was exsanguination." Stella told him never once raising her voice but he could see the glowing embers of her checked temper in those green eyes of hers.

"Not Asphyxiation?" He asked curiously as there had been no other marks on their victim than the one around his throat, except for the missing ear. There had been a large amount of blood though perhaps Sid found something after washing away all the dried blood. Bonasera shook her head. "How is that possible there were no other holes in the guy except…?" He began.

"His missing ear, right?" she finished for him as she had a habit of doing. "I thought that as well but Dr. Hammerback noticed signs of scaring on the esophagus which were likely caused by acid reflux. There were also indications that he'd had heart surgery to repair his valves. The most common medicine to treat patients with artificial valves is…" Stella started.

"An Anticoagulant such as Warafin." Mac finished for her in turn. She actually had the audacity to smile at him which made his heart lurch.

"I found a prescription for both Coumadin and Valium in the vic's medicine cabinet as well as a bottle of over-the-counter antacid containing Omeprazole. What do you think happens when you take a combination of those drugs?" She wondered thoroughly pleased with herself.

"Massive amounts of blood?" Flack asked grinning at Stella from ear to ear. She grinned back at him making Mac feel the same as he did when Sid told him she was seeing Sheldon after work.

"Exactly, so even if the suspect roughed him up a little the actual cause of his death was from having his ear ripped off." Stella added. Mac felt as though he was no longer in the room but he witnessed a decided change in Bonasera's personality.

He kind of liked the woman he saw but shook his head at the thought. She may have only been twelve years younger instead of thirteen, but she was still too young for him. He'd made a decision along time ago to marry someone only five years younger than he was, Claire was seven years his junior. Sometimes he had to wonder if their age difference wasn't the cause of their frequent fights.

"Good work, Detective. I'd like to see you in my office in thirty minutes." He told her suddenly feeling guilty for misjudging her. The reports on her had been right, she was as good as she was thorough. She nodded in response to his request, though she had lost a little of that fire she still swung around on her heels and walked away from him.

"Wow you must have really done something to tick her off." Flack observed as they both watched her retreating back. Mac noticed how her veil of brown curls swayed in time with her hips but when he turned to look at Flack he noticed the man's eyes were aimed much lower. He felt his temperature rise and waved the file in his hand in front of the other man's face.

"Yeah I did, don't you have something to deliver?" Mac asked.

"Oh right thanks for reminding me. Yo, Stella. I got a package for you." Flack called after the retreating back making Mac clench his teeth. He glared daggers at the man who chased after her and he almost grabbed the younger man's throat in a choke hold to demand what was in the box.

How did Flack even know Stella and for that matter how did his Stella know Flack? Being able to see her office from where he stood only fueled his anger. He watched Stella hug Flack and kiss his cheek. Mac felt his right hand curl into a first and his fingernails as they bit deep into his skin.

He turned his back on the loving couple and hit the elevator down button, waited for it to arrive, then went to the one place he knew he could let of some steam. He headed to the morgue hoping to talk to Sid about his findings. Mac marched into the autopsy room hoping to find Sid alone so he could vent some of his frustrations to the older man who was as much a confidant as a friend. Sheldon Hawkes was there and Mac steeled his features to keep from showing one of the objects of his ire how upset he was.

"Hey Mac, you looking or Sid?" Hawkes asked looking up from the sink where he was washing off. Trying hard to convince himself of all the reasons why he shouldn't strangle the younger man Mac nodded his head.

"Yeah know where I can find him?" Mac asked trying to keep the annoyance from his voice.

"He's in his office writing up his final report. Stella wanted to get a preliminary to show you so she sat in on most of the autopsy." Hawkes told him.

"She was actually here when the two of you…?" Mac started but couldn't bring himself to finish. The woman never ceased to amaze him.

"Yeah, she was pretty mad when you called to berate her last night. I think she's still waiting on DNA and fingerprints but she's got her act together, Mac. You've really got to ease up a little on her. She's not just a raw cadet; you know she gave up a lead position of her own to come here and work with you." Hawkes told him surprising him even further.

"She did?" Mac asked feeling his anger deflate as fast as letting the air out of a balloon.

"New Orleans PD called a few months ago asking her to head up their crime lab. A while back they got government funding to update their entire infrastructure from the ground up. They wanted the best of who was available so they asked her. She told them she'd have to think about it but the minute this job came open she jumped at the chance. You tell me why she'd give up such a lucrative position to play second string around here when we've treated her worse than old guitar you just toss in the trash." Sheldon replied throwing Mac for a loop.

"Why?" Was the only thing Mac could say.

"Back when we were in college she told me she had this mystery in her past that she wanted to solve. When I asked her why she turned down the New Orleans job she told me that she still hadn't found the answers to her questions and she was certain she could only find them here." Sheldon explained. Mac sat on the edge of an empty autopsy table unable to stand. There had to be some other explanation. She couldn't have stayed in New York because of him. That couldn't be the only reason could it? Mac stood up and walked towards the exit. "Hey what did you want to tell Sid?" Hawkes called after him.

"Just tell him I want to see that report as soon as it's finished." Mac answered then made his way to the elevator. He needed to think, to clear his head but to do that he needed a cup of coffee.

He headed upstairs to the break room ready to make a fresh pot of coffee himself only to find one already prepared. He looked around but didn't find anyone willing to claim responsibility. He got his favorite mug out of the dishwasher and poured himself a cup of coffee then fixed it the way he liked it. When he went to get the half and half from the fridge he remembered they were out but opened it anyway as though some would magically appear. What he did see surprised him. There was not one but two unopened quart containers of half and half one of which had his name was emblazoned on all four sides in huge letters.

"Now that has you name on it clearly visible." The voice of Stella Bonasera declared adamantly though there was a touch of humor to her voice. He sighed and shook his head before casting a look in her direction. She pulled one of his own moves and quirked an eye brow at him though she didn't sound or appear angry.

"Look I'm sorry. I guess I was a bit of an ass yesterday." Mac broke down and apologized.

"A bit?" She asked curiously.

"Okay a lot. I'm sorry. I should have treated you more like a competent CI instead of a mindless rookie. For that I apologize." He admitted.

"Yes you should have," She determined, "and I must apologize to you as well. I suppose I should have realized I'd be the brunt of few jokes the first day on the job but Danny caught me off guard and I guess I put my defenses up. I'm also sorry I didn't play along and you had to wind up crawling through sewers looking for Robert Sander's ear." She told him and he couldn't help but chuckle despite the fact that he'd been so mad about it yesterday.

"A friend reminded me I needed a new pair of shoes anyway." He accepted her apology with as much grace as she had his.

"I made coffee." She pointed out sitting down at the bar across from him as he poured the half and half into his coffee. "You looked like you needed it." She added with a genuine smile.

"Thank you, also you have no idea." He told her after taking a swig of the much needed beverage and couldn't contain the grateful sigh that slipped past his guard.

"See that's what you get for calling down the wrath of a Greek Goddess." She winked at him and he laughed shaking his head.

"Your words?" Mac wondered.

"No, Don's. He told me the two of you were friends and said I should try to get you on my good side." Stella informed him.

"Are you sure it wasn't the other way around?" He asked. She looked thoughtful for a moment and then shook her head.

"Nope he said you were a pain in the ass for the most part but you were worth having around." She replied. Mac could have easily taken umbrage to that but it sounded too much like Don to refute the statement.

"Truce then?" He asked curiously holding his hand out to her.

"Truce," She told him accepting it. He found himself lost in those green orbs of hers again when he met her eyes. Once she pulled her hand away he forced himself to avert his gaze trading in memorizing every line and curve of her face for examining his coffee cup like a piece of evidence.

"So how do you know Don?" Mac asked curiously striking up a conversation.

"Oh, he and I dated…" She began but his ears didn't hear anything else. All Mac could do was contemplate how to kill Donald Flack Jr. and get away with it.


	6. Chapter 6: A Beautiful Friendship

AN: Sorry about the delay! I really wanted to get two chapters published last night but I didn't get five finished until ten p.m. and I couldn't stay up much later to finish let alone publish chapter six so here it is. I hope you enjoy thanks so much for reading this story and sticking with me so far.

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter Six: A Beautiful Friendship

Stella had gotten up early that morning, skipped breakfast, and headed to the office at precisely eight a.m. She was determined to show Mac Taylor just how competent she was though it irked her that she even had to. It was one of those instances where she just had to prove him wrong though. She was like that; if someone told her no she'd ask why not. She didn't like unanswered questions and so far Mac Taylor was a bigger mystery than her benefactor and she was determined to solve at least one riddle. It wasn't all that easy however as the man himself was the mystery, one that drove her to distraction which wasn't a good combination.

She spent the morning going over all the evidence getting Danny and Lindsey to help. She sat in on the autopsy posing questions to Dr. Hammerback as often as she could without being too much of a diversion though she had learned that Sid could be his own source of amusement. She quickly figured him out though, that his quick wit and funny anecdotes were a way to take his mind of the often gruesome task of dissecting someone's parent or child.

A fact she noticed with admiration that wasn't lost on him. Actually Sid had a better bed side manner than most doctors who worked on the living. Sheldon was correct in saying that she would like the M.E. in fact Stella found herself quite taken with him already. Stella had a mission however and she wasn't about to let the relationship her newfound friend had with Mac Taylor interfere in her set course of action.

She took the doctor's preliminary report upstairs and wielded her authority as second in command of the lab to expedite the tox results which she took back to the good doctor herself to pick his brain about the findings coming up with a conclusion that seemed the most plausible with all the data they had at their disposal. All that was left to do besides wait for finger prints and DNA results was to wait for the man himself to arrive.

At a half past the hour Stella began to pace in front of Mac Taylor's office, and a quarter 'til ten she was impatiently watching out the office window though there wasn't much she could see sixteen stories up. At fifteen past ten a silver speck pulled up in front of the older building which much of police headquarters still occupied, though she had to crane her neck to see it. Something about the two people who got out of the vehicle told her that he was finally there. She felt a tremendous sense of satisfaction when she looked at the time and saw how late he was though she would never admit to it in a court of law.

She followed the tiny specks for as long as she could, estimated the time they would arrive at their final destination, and waited impatiently in front of the elevators for him to appear. She stood there tapping her foot slightly in irritation looking at the clock again and then back at the window doubting her intuition which had told her it was him. Just when she was about to give up waiting, the elevator dinged causing her to jump a little. She squared her shoulders back and prepared herself for the first confrontation of the day.

The look on Mac Taylor's face was priceless though she fought for control of her facial features so she wouldn't break out into a triumphant grin. Seeing Don Flack, the cop she had dated for all of two weeks, standing there beside her nemesis threw her off guard a little. She was determined to have the last word however; another one of her little quirks.

She lit into Mac Taylor with as much vigor as he had done her the night before though she remained as calm and collected as she could laying out all the details of the case that she had learned so far. She felt her triumph waiver a bit however when she noticed how tired his eyes looked.

Had he not slept well the night before? She wondered briefly but shook the thought from her head, she wasn't about to give up this close to the finish line. Once she had said all she wanted to say she gave him the opportunity to counter attack, what he said next sent her reeling.

"Good work, Detective. I'd like to see you in my office in thirty minutes." He told her. Suddenly she felt guilty for not giving him a chance to clock in and settle into the routine of the day first. He looked even more tired now than he had when he first stepped off the elevator. All she could do was nod her head before resolutely turning on her heal and walk off.

Her face flushed with the heat of embarrassment unable to believe what she had just done. Not that she shied away from confrontations in general but she found it best to assesses a situation before walking into it and she had let her temper get the better of her in that regard.

"Yo Stella, I got a package for you." Flack called after her and followed her towards her office.

"Hey Don. What brings you here?" She asked giving him a hug and a kiss on the cheek by way of greeting. He set an evidence box down on her desk as though he was giving her a birthday gift. "What's this, an old case file you've been working on?" She wondered.

"You tell me." Don returned making her even more curious. "This guy comes into the precinct first thing this morning asking for a Stella Bonasera and I tell him you don't work there no more." Don said in usual New Yorker fashion. "He says this stuff belongs to you since it's got your name on it." He informed her. Stella lifted the lid on the box and what she saw drew tears to her eyes. All of the letters she'd written to her benefactor over the past several years were stuffed into the bottom of the card board box. When he saw her reaction Don put an arm around her shoulders for support.

"I don't understand, I just mailed one this morning on my way to work." She sniffed accepting Don's handkerchief when he offered it. She dried the tears threatening to ruin her mascara and sat down too stunned to say anything.

"What are they?" He asked curiously.

"Letters to my benefactor." She answered sadly.

"That guy who set you up for life?" Don asked, he being one of the few people she'd taken into her confidence on the matter.

"He saved my life when I was six years old and provided me with a trust fund. I guess he felt bad that the accident killed my mother and a family friend who was driving us back from Canada. There was a detour and we sort of got lost in the dark, I was asleep in the back so I don't really know what happened except we slid on a patch of ice. The local law enforcement officer was there at the hospital with me when I woke up and explained that someone may have bumped into the back of our car causing it to veer off the road. My mother and Uncle Eddie were killed instantly but whoever my savior was pulled me out of the wreckage and took me to the hospital." Stella went into further detail than she'd had previously.

"So this Boyd Jenkins guy is the one who pulled you out of the wreck?" Don asked taking the name from the address label. Stella shrugged her shoulders because she didn't know. She stared helplessly at the box not knowing what to make of it. If her letters were there then that meant Boyd hadn't been getting them.

What did that mean? Was her benefactor dead? The law firm would have surely contacted her if that be the case. Did that mean the monthly stipends would stop? Not that she cared about the money. She made more than enough on her own and with her apartment bought and paid for already all she had to shell out was electric and gas.

"That's a lot of letters here Stel, I didn't know people still wrote with paper and pen." Flack commented.

"His only request in return for everything he's given me was that I write a letter to him once a year for the rest of my life and again on birthdays and at Christmas if I wanted a present." She confessed.

"You mean there's more?" Don asked incredulously.

"That night in the hospital when I woke up was the first letter I wrote to him but then I didn't know about the provision he left for me. The Sheriff's wife helped me to write the letter because I was still too weak to hold a pencil. I just wanted to thank him for saving my life." She said.

"Maybe that thank you note was what made him want more. I don't know, Stella, it sounds like this guy's a pervert to me." Don added.

"Then why has he never tried to contact me? Why has he never written me back to request a meeting? I mean he doesn't exactly fit the profile, Don. He would have contacted me when I was just a kid not wait until I'm already grown up. But what if he's dead? I mean why else would he have not gotten the letters. The address is the same on all of them. The lawyer has never given me a new one and he's so exact with every other detail of my trust." She jumped as quickly to her feet as she did to Boyd's defense. She looked at the letters in the box noting every address was the same, nothing had changed.

"You think if the guy's dead then the nest egg of yours is going to dry up?" Don asked. "Maybe he's finally decided you're old enough to stand on your own two feet." He offered another option.

"I'm barely even forty, Don, why now? Why would he wait until now to cut me off when he could have done it after I graduated from college or the police academy?" She asked. He gave her a look very reminiscent of the one permanently etched into Mac Taylor's face. "Okay so I already turned forty-four," She reluctantly admitted. "You've been hanging around Taylor too long." She told him at which he broke into a grin.

"Yes," he cheered. "I've been trying to do that for the last twenty-five years. Ha, see if you can beat me at the next Flack family poker night, Mac Taylor." He scoffed at the absent man. That answered one mystery about Taylor, he did play poker and he was obliviously unbeatable – at least by Flack. "About your thing, maybe forty-four is a lucky number for him or something." He added.

"If you tell anyone else about my real age I'll make sure no one ever finds the body, Donald Flack." She ordered grabbing his shirt front and tie. He held his hands up in defeat and nodded his head quickly.

She let go of the death like grip she had of his shirt and smoothed it out before straightening his tie. She made sure it was good and snug before returning her attention to the box. She heard him sigh and saw him loosen his tie a little from the corner of her eye. She chuckled but continued to go over the letters. She was checking the postage to see how far back the letters went. Something on one caught her attention it was a 'please forward' stamp with the address of a different P.O. box on it.

She frowned as she pulled several with a similar stamp on it. One stood out from the others as it had two stamps, the second larger than the first with red lettering: 'Forwarding address no longer viable.' When she looked at the date on it her breath caught in her throat. That was the letter she had sent on 9/11 after the attacks which made her think of something else.

She went to her computer and typed in the new P.O. Box number into the search engine. Her gut feeling was correct; the address was no longer in service because it had been redirected to a mail box at the world trade center. The letter hadn't gotten into the mail until after the devastation or else she may have never known the truth. Maybe her benefactor hadn't recently died; maybe he had been dead for the past ten years.

"Stel, I know that look what is it?" Don asked in concern as she sank into her chair again. He looked over at her screen and understood the reason for her sudden silence. "Oh man, you don't think…? I mean it's possible your guy wasn't even there when it…" Don tried to assure her.

"That's true but what else could it be. I mean there's over ten years worth of letters in here. There's nothing else it could be. I've been sending the letters regularly for the last thirty-eight years but these only date back to the last ten at least." She told him.

"There's an awful lot of letter's here Stella if you just wrote one a year. Even if you sent three a year…" He started.

"I often wrote more than three letters a year. That was just the minimum I had to write, he never told me I could only send three a year." She defended her almost compulsive need to write to her benefactor.

When she had first gone to the orphanage she wrote to him every day then for about a month she stopped writing. That was when the Matron called her into the office and asked her why she was no longer sending her letters. She told the woman that she didn't believe in him any more because he never answered them back. The matron told her that her benefactor was a bit like God, that while she may not see him she had to believe he was real.

The Matron then explained that she received a call from him and that he was very sad. While he couldn't write her back he was very lonely without the letters she sent. She had later tried to get answers from the matron but the old woman refused to give his identity away even though she seemed to know him personally. Sadly the matron had been put into a nursing home for Alzheimer's disease a few years back so Stella doubted the woman could help her now.

"Why don't you talk to Mac about this? Maybe he can help you find out if this Boyd Jenkins really exists or not." Don suggested but Stella shook her head vehemently. "I don't know the particulars but I take it the two of you haven't gotten off on the right foot. Mac's a great guy, Stel, you really need to try to get him over on your good side. He's a pain in ass and as stubborn as a mule at times but if you ever need him he'll fight tooth and nail for you. Heck he'll even give you the shirt on his back if you need it. They don't make guys like that anymore. I think after they made Mac Taylor the angels threw away the mold. The guys ain't a saint by any stretch of the imagination but in this day and age he's as close as you can get. I kinda think he was a boy scout before he became a Marine." Don defended him which coming from him she didn't want at the moment. She sighed and shook her head.

"Sheldon told me the same thing." Stella confessed.

"Oh that's right I forgot you and Hawkes went to school together you know he's a CI now too right?" He inquired. She nodded her head.

"Sheldon and I had drinks last night to catch up on old times." Stella informed him.

"Maybe that's why," Don reflected causing her to look up at him. "Oh nothing just something Mac said when I drove him here." He told her without going into details.

"You drove him here? I thought he lived on this end of town." She remarked.

"He's got an apartment just up the block but he sometimes stays with a friend. He said a moving truck was blocking the road out so he hopped a train since he couldn't get a taxi. Apparently he got on the wrong train and wound up in my precinct this morning instead of the here at the civic center. I wanted to see how you were doing and give you the letters so I offered to give him a ride." Don explained his presence.

"Don, how do you know Mac Taylor anyway?" She was curious to know.

"You mean I didn't tell you about him before? No, I guess not. That was about the time I wasn't speaking to him but that's another story. After Mac was discharged from the service and got back on his feet he joined the force. My dad was his partner before he Mac made detective. Mac still comes over for Sunday diners every now and then but not so much since Mom died a few years ago. Dad kinda closed himself off but Mac's been helping me slowly bring him back." Don explained.

"Why would he do that?" She wanted to know.

"Mom and Dad were really supportive of him when his wife died in the attack on the twin towers. Mac pretty much lost it from the grief. I guess the worst part was they never found her body." Don gave her an answer she didn't expect. She was stunned silent for several minutes but put an arm around him seeing that he too had lost someone important to him.

"The two of you are pretty close then," She observed. Don nodded his head taking a few more minutes to recover.

"Claire was as much like a sister to me as Mac is a brother. Annoying older brother mind you but still…" Don confirmed. Stella gave him a genuine smile and sighed if Don liked him Mac couldn't be that terrible a person, she reasoned. Maybe she had misjudged him as Sheldon so eloquently noted. "Since my family was there for Mac when Claire died he thought it was his duty to be there for his old partner when Mom passed away." Don finished. Stella nodded in understanding determining to make it up to Mac Taylor for being a bit harsh.

"Alright, I'll try to put my dislike of the man aside and make peace for your sake if nothing else. I wouldn't want you to have to choose between friends." Stella told him.

"That's my girl!" Don cheered.

"Your girl?" She asked quirking an eyebrow at him.

"Now who's been spending too much time around Mac?" He laughed for which she punched him in the arm. "Ow!" He groaned rubbing his arm. "Hey look I got to get back to the precinct. There's only a few of us at the department today with the emergency preparedness drills going taking place. I can't leave them alone too long or they might start killing each other." Don chuckled and kissed her good-bye. He headed for the exit before turning to look back at her. "How about you come to diner with me and Angel on Sunday? You could bring Hawkes or somebody so you don't feel like a third wheel." He offered.

"You had better ask Jessica what her plans for you are on Sunday but if she doesn't mind I would be up for it. I'll ask Sheldon and see what he says." Stella told him. Don grinned and waved good bye before heading towards the elevator and disappearing inside. Stella sighed completely rethinking her original assessment of one Mac Taylor. If Don liked him he couldn't be all bad.

Stella stowed the box of letters under her desk and headed to Taylor's office to make amends for her behavior. Don was right they had gotten off on the wrong foot and the fault wasn't his alone. Mac wasn't in his office and when she asked about him someone told her they'd seen him head downstairs, probably to see Sid. She decided to make the man a peace offering and went to the break room to make a pot of coffee instead.

Looking back at it now the man had looked more than just tired he looked as though he hadn't slept at all the night before. If his wife had died in the 9/11 attacks then she wondered just how much sleep he'd gotten over the last ten years. As far as she knew he'd never been remarried though she thought she remembered Sheldon talking about a new girlfriend so maybe he wasn't still in mourning. Stella admired him for being loyal to the memory of his wife but eleven years was a bit long to mourn, especially for someone his age.

She new there were those who never remarried after loosing a spouse but Stella couldn't imagine being so in love with someone that you couldn't move on with your life after they were gone. Then again Stella herself hadn't been that in love with anyone before, not that she didn't want to be. She just hadn't found the right one yet.

Stella remembered the two quarts of half and half she'd put in the fridge that morning to replace the one she'd used the day before. She took one out and scribbled Mac Taylor's name on the sides in big letters. She couldn't help herself even though she was trying to resolve their differences. A name in tiny print on the bottom or the carton wasn't enough to tell someone else who it belongs to. She swore that was the last point she would try to get across to him that day and put the carton back.

She waited around for him in the break room hoping the smell of coffee would lure him in once he returned from the morgue but got impatient waiting. She wanted to check to see if the DNA samples and fingerprint analysis had come back with any hits in CODIS yet. She spoke to Lindsey who was helping out in the lab but was disappointed with the results. Except for tying the print they pulled off the ear to the ones they pulled from the scene, there wasn't a positive match. The DNA results weren't much better as they belonged to the vic, Robert Sandler.

She sighed and shook her head in frustration again, they were going to have to start over and look at the case from a different perspective. If the suspect wasn't in the system then that meant whoever it was must have been someone with a personal grudge against the victim as it didn't appear to be a robbery gone bad. That was like looking for a needle in a haystack as the list of people with something against Robert Sandler was growing exponentially.

Stella headed back to the break room to get a cup of coffee of her own as the adrenalin that had her up at six o'clock that morning was starting to wear a bit thin. She was pleasantly surprised to find Mac standing in front of the fridge staring at the present she'd left him. She smiled and crossed her arms with one last act of defiance.

"Now that has your name on it, clearly visible." Stella said with a smile. He jumped slightly and turned to look at her with a small sigh as though expecting another confrontation.

"Look I'm sorry. I guess I was a bit of an ass yesterday." He surprised her with an apology.

"A bit?" She asked pressing her luck knowing she should have just accepted it.

"Okay a lot. I'm sorry. I should have treated you more like a competent CI instead of a mindless rookie. For that I apologize." He admitted making her feel somewhat victorious while at the same time guilty for her own part in the quarrel.

"Yes you should have," She shot back but kicked herself when she saw the look in his eyes. "and I must apologize to you as well. I suppose I should have realized I'd be the brunt of few jokes the first day on the job but Danny caught me off guard and I guess I put my defenses up. I'm also sorry I didn't play along and you had to wind up crawling through sewers looking for Robert Sander's ear." She apologized in turn though she knew she could have done better. He chuckled and shook his head giving her a lopsided smile, suddenly her heart flipped though she was still certain it was nothing but indigestion.

"A friend reminded me I needed a new pair of shoes anyway." He acknowledged her act of contrition.

"I made coffee." She offered and took a seat on a stool across from him, watching as he poured the half and half into his cup. She noted that it had a Marine Corps logo on it which made sense seeing as how they say: 'once a marine always a marine.' "You looked like you needed it." She smiled at him. He gave her another half smile and a quirk of his eye brow before taking a drink of the much needed beverage. She felt her smile deepen when a sigh escaped his hardened façade letting her know there was really a human in there with human needs, one of which was caffeine.

"Thank you, also you have no idea." He told her.

"See that's what you get for calling down the wrath of a Greek Goddess." She told him quoting something she'd heard Don say once. Mac laughed and looked up at her quizzically.

"Your words?" He wondered.

"No, Don's. He told me the two of you were friends and said I should try to get you on my good side." She repeated what their mutual friend had said.

"Are you sure it wasn't the other way around?" He asked curiously. She posed thoughtfully for a second before shaking her head and winked at him

"Nope he said you were a pain in the ass for the most part but you were worth having around." She answered with a smile.

"Truce then?" He asked holding his hand out to her which startled her as she was about to offer the same thing. Maybe Sheldon was right they were more similar than she cared to admit.

"Truce," She accepted his hand. She had to pull her hand away quickly from the white hot sparks that shot through her at the touch of his hand. She couldn't help be lost in those blue eyes that were the color of the sky but appeared as deep as the oceans.

"So how do you know Don?" Mac asked curiously striking up a conversation when she looked quickly away.

"Oh, he and I dated…" She started hoping to move the conversation anywhere but where her thoughts had begun to take her. "After I… stopped seeing my last boyfriend. Don was there for me and well I guess things kind of progressed from there but I wasn't really ready to start dating again. Don understood that and we've stayed good friends. He introduced me to his new girlfriend a few weeks ago and I must say that he and Jessica are perfect for each other." She added skipping over talking about her abusive ex knowing he'd probably read the incident report but not wanting to go into too much detail. When she looked at him he seemed to have zoned off but he looked up at her in surprise.

"Don is going out with Detective Angell?" Mac asked curiously. Stella wasn't sure how to answer for fear that she had let the cat out of the bag but shrugged and nodded her head. "I should have guessed. They'd been awfully friendly lately but I… I guess I was too distracted to notice." He commented before falling silent again.

"So what was in the box he brought you?" He inquired seemingly uninterested.

"Just a few of the personal items I left in my desk. I guess I forgot to grab everything." She told him not willing to take him into her confidence as Don suggested. Maybe after she had exhausted all of her own resources then she would see what he had to offer. Mac nodded and didn't push her to confide in him though she had trouble deciphering whether he believed her or not.

The conversation moved onto the Sandler case and they went over possible scenarios that hadn't seemed as evident as the one they'd arrived on at the scene. Stella had to change everything she had thought originally about the man and considered what Sheldon Hawkes had said. Maybe their truce would be the start of a beautiful friendship after all.


	7. Chapter 7: Complications

AN: I couldn't figure out how to work it into the story but just so you understand the title of this chapter, Mac Taylor doesn't like complication. This chapter turned out to be a bit angsty but I drew from the fact that Mac seemed very distraught in the season one episode blink. I know he was mourning his wife on what I assumed was the anniversary of her death or something but it spoke a lot more to me. Mac has never had many relationships with a woman in the show and from what I've seen in him he seems like a one woman type of guy. So I'm sorry if he seems a bit too hard on himself in this chapter. There is a light in the tunnel so to speak and yes Peyton is in it near the end but like I said in the first chapter this will eventually be a Mac/Stella story. I'm still laying the basic ground work or it wouldn't be much of a story in my opinion. In case you haven't been able to guess by my other stories posted on here I don't write short stories so expect at least twenty-five to thirty chapters. And no, for that heart pounding second I made you think that, it won't be the last page of the story before they get together. If they got together at the beginning it wouldn't be much of a book now would it… story I meant story. ;-) I hope I haven't tortured you too much because I just spent eleven pages torturing Mac, ah how sweet a sound… okay enough with the intro here's the chapter I promised. Allez-y!

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter 7: Complications

After two of them had reached a peace treaty of sorts no further conflicts had transpired between Mac and Stella. It had been several weeks since their first encounter but other than a few minor setbacks they hadn't had any other misunderstandings. Though he still had trouble sleeping on account of her most of his routine had gotten back on course and he'd even slipped an occasional prank through her radar system. Mac sighed and rubbed his eyes, tired from staring at the computer screen so long. Their latest case was another doozey but when wasn't it?

He leaned his head back against his office chair letting his eyes rest before he returned to searching databases once more. He wasn't sure when the last time he'd eaten anything was as he'd gotten so caught up in the case as usual. Sid had taken a few days off to see to getting their belongings moved into the carriage house up the street from Mac's house so he couldn't head down to the morgue to seek guidance.

Mac was tired but he couldn't let himself relax until the criminal they were after had been found. This case had been particularly hard on Sid especially since he'd had to do an autopsy on two girls from Bella's own school, ones who the family knew personally. While it wasn't department policy Mac had allowed Sid to do the autopsies in order to keep his promise to their families, to find out who'd done such a thing. After he'd done everything he could Mac had sent Sid home to be with his family.

An attempt had been made on Bella as she walked home so Sid had sent her and Mary to New Jersey until the perpetrator was apprehended. The M.E. stayed at Mac's until the movers finished unpacking their belonging but it also meant Sid was doing a lot of the repairs himself so no three course meals. Mac understood the need to do something when circumstances were outside his control but he had also made a promise of his own. Mac refused to sleep until this dirt bag was off the streets and locked up for good.

"Hey, Mac," Stella said from close by and he looked up at his second in command. "When was the last time you slept or ate?" she asked curiously, concern evident in her voice. She didn't look much better than he felt however though she always managed to look beautiful no matter what. Mac sat up straighter in his chair and shook his head.

"I can sleep after we get this guy but I could stand to have some food." He admitted.

"Good things I ordered us dinner then," She said with a smile and held out a bag from delivery service. Chinese if his sense of smell was accurate and his stomach grumbled from lack of attention.

"You read my mind." He told her and stood up following her to the break room. Adam was zonked out on the couch and Hawkes was trying to stifle a yawn himself as he poured over a file probably related to the case. The younger field agent looked up when they walked in smiled when Stella held up the bag signaling she had enough for every body. A muffled sound came from the couch which resembled a dog sniffing apparently the odor had also brought their resident geek out of hibernation.

"Food!" Adam asked groggily before tumbling off the couch. Mac just shook his head and laughed at his subordinate's antics.

"There's plenty here though I didn't know what every liked. There's Singapore noodle in here for you, Sheldon." Stella spoke up making Mac's gut twist at the thought of her knowing Sheldon's tastes so well.

It still irked him when he thought of the date the two of them went out on, the fact that they were just joining Don and Angell for dinner didn't quell his anxiety any. Mac couldn't understand the intense dislike of the man he was beginning to harbor whenever it came to Stella. He got along with the former M.E. just fine except for that.

"Thanks, Stella. You know the way to a man's heart." Hawkes returned and kissed her cheek. Mac glared at the back of the man's head and quickly left the room before he could do anything he might regret. He almost bumped into Lindsey and mumbled an apology in addition to an excuse about using the bathroom on his way out.

He headed for the men's room to avoid being caught in a lie just in case someone followed him. He washed his hands and splashed some cold water on his neck letting it drip down his back. He considered taking a shower to help invigorate him as well as sooth his temper. He knew he'd been in a foul mood most of the day but he couldn't help himself. His anger was always lingering in the back ground waiting for something to lash out on.

It was just because of this case, he kept telling himself. He was angry at the bastard who had captured, tortured, and raped two young girls before killing them. That was enough to make any decent sort of person upset but all Mac could see when he looked into those girls lifeless faces was the face of his Stella staring back at him. They were older than Stella Wentworth but ever since Sid had told him that all little girls grew up he'd begun to imagine what she would look like at different ages.

Mac closed his eyes and placed his hands on either side of the sink letting his forehead touch the cool glass of the mirror behind it. He needed to catch this guy soon, for his own sanity if nothing else. He was upset by his own selfishness which only added fuel to the fire. Mac only joined the force because when he returned to the states he'd learned that they had never caught the guy who left Stella Wentworth an orphan. Mac was determined to do everything in his power to prevent it from happening again but what do you tell a parent who has to out live a child?

"Hey Mac, you okay?" Danny Messer asked from his elbow and Mac looked over at the younger detective. "Oh wow, Boss you don't look so good. When was the last time you slept?" He asked curiously. Mac couldn't help glancing at the door to the men's room half expecting Stella to be waiting outside.

"Did Stella tell you to ask me that?" Mac replied with a terse question of his own.

"No, I made that observation on my own though Linds did ask me to check on you. She said you looked upset when you almost bowled her over in your haste to leave the break room." Danny explained. Mac sighed and looked at himself in the mirror, he did look bad but he was in his fifties. He'd given up hope of ever looking like he had in his twenties a long time ago.

"To answer your question I rest my head when I tire. Was there anything else you wanted, Messer?" Mac replied.

"Ooh on a last name basis now are we? Okay now I know something's got you riled. Spill it Mac before I do call Stella." Danny threatened. Mac sent him a glare and his coworker actually took a step back. "Unless it has something to do with Ms. Bonasera, I'm right aren't? Tell me I'm right!" Danny urged crossing his arms over his chest looking as excited as if he'd solved the case by himself.

"Mind your own business, Danny." Mac shot back.

"Now I know I'm right." Danny just took it as confirmation of his assumption.

"Our job is to look at the evidence, Danny, not some gut feeling you or your wife has about my state of mind." Mac said drying off his hands but in no hurry to leave the bathroom for fear of more concern minded citizens of the female persuasion.

"Well I am looking at the evidence boss and it's quite open and shut. You have a thing for Stella." Danny stated his hypothesis out loud.

"That's a good theory Danny but you don't' have all your facts straight." Mac told him.

"Don't I? You've hardly said more than a few civil words to Flack and now from what I hear your firing poison tipped darts from your eyes at the back of Doc's head. What's the one thing the tow of them have in common? Stella!" Danny asked and answered his own question.

"That's hearsay, it will never stand up in a court of law." Mac said in his defense.

"I've seen it too Mac. I mean come on she's a beautiful woman, you're a pretty smart guy and you'd have to be a corpse not to notice." Danny said grabbing him by the wrist. "Yep, you've got a pulse." He added with a grin. Mac glared at him and shoved his hand away.

"You done with the interrogation now, Messer? I'd like to get back to work." Mac said moving passed him heading for the door.

"I wouldn't go out there right now unless you want Stella to drill you." Danny advised making him stop dead in his tracks the one person he didn't want to see at the moment. Mac sighed and leaned back against a sink wishing he wasn't a prisoner in his own crime lab. His life had been so much simpler since she came to work there. "Geeze, Mac I was teasing about Stella, boy you got it bad don't you?" Danny asked. Mac knew he was in trouble if he couldn't hide his inner turmoil from Danny.

"Am I really that transparent?" Mac asked curiously.

"You still got what it takes to send the interns scurrying for cover, Boss. It's just cause me and the team have been working with you for so many years now." Danny assured him. Mac rubbed his eyes with his hands again. "I got an idea why don't you go home and I'll cover for you. Say you were overly tired and that you had to crash or somethin'?" Danny offered but Mac shook his head.

"I'm not going to quit until we catch this bastard, Danny." Mac persisted.

"Well Sid sometimes takes a nap in the cooler." Danny suggested. Mac sighed again nodded his head maybe it would help to cool his temperature and clear his head. He started for the door but Danny grabbed his arm. "Let me check to see if the coast is clear." He urged and went to act as his look out when Mac gave his nod of approval. "Okay, the girls are out of sight." Messer told him sticking his head in the door a few seconds later.

"Don't let them catch you calling them girls, Danny." Mac warned. Danny grinned but nodded his head liking to tease the girls almost as much as Mac did. "If I'm not back in an hour either come wake me up or call Sid and have him come in for an autopsy." Mac said lightening the mood only the look on Danny's face was priceless. "I'm joking, Danny." Mac assured the CI. "Call me in twenty minutes if you haven't heard from me. I still need to finish that database search I started." He requested giving a reason for the wake up call. Danny smiled in relief and nodded.

"Sure thing, Boss." Danny replied walking on ahead of Mac and gave a thumbs up after checking to make sure the coast was still clear. Mac quietly slipped down the stairs not wanting to use the elevator as it would alert the rest of the team to his departure. The war between his stomach and his need for some shut eye was quickly decided. He promised his stomach he would give it a conciliatory feast later.

What he wanted more than anything was some peace and quiet at the moment. The only place he was sure to find some was at the morgue even if Sid wasn't there with a smile and a ready anecdote. Mac was glad when he found no one home, not that he expected to see anyone as they had all left hours ago. While crime never slept apparently medical examiners got to go home early but he was grateful for the silence.

He checked the log which made note of the full trays and the vacant ones. Mac chose a vacant tray in a section that was devoid of occupants. Mac knew Sid kept his place so spotless you could eat off a tray, not that he would want to but at least he didn't have to worry about the smell. He hopped up onto the table, lay down and carefully closed it as much as he dared leaving a small enough gap to let in oxygen but not enough to let in light.

Getting used to the odd feeling of being inside the cooler didn't take Mac as long as he thought it would. He was out the second he closed his eyes and didn't know how long he had been out until he heard the distinct sound of the tray being pulled back out and he was blinded by the light. Mac held his hand up to block the lights which had been turned on full blast instead of the ambient lights he'd used. Once his eyes had the chance to clear he saw Stella Bonasera glaring down at him tapping her foot on the floor.

"If you wanted to hide from me Mac there were better ways to do it than to play vampire." Stella chastised him. Mac sat up slowly his muscles feeling stiff from the cold.

"I wasn't hiding from you. I told Danny I needed a nap so he suggested I try the morgue. I told him to wake me up in twenty minutes." Mac countered.

"That was two hours ago Mac, I've been trying to call you. I thought you were avoiding me." Stella said in a less annoyed tone. Mac frowned and looked at his watch and reached for his phone only to find it not on his belt where he expected to find it. He then remembered where it was.

"I must have left it on my desk. I guess even if Danny had called me I wouldn't have heard it." He said. It his haste to get away he'd forgotten to grab his cell from his office. "I'm sorry I wasn't ignoring you." He apologized slipping down off the table and having his knees almost give out. He would have been a heap on the floor if it wasn't for Bonasera's quick reflexes putting her hands out to steady him. She was stronger than she looked he found to his amazement. She put his arm around her neck and helped to support his weight.

"You're freezing no wonder you're too stiff to move." Stella exclaimed helping him to a chair. Mac's brain was still a little foggy from what he thought was sleep. She left him to grab a blanket from somewhere and wrapped it around his shoulders. "Didn't you bother to read the sign that this section was having problems with its temperature regulator?" She asked as she knelt in front of him and started rubbing the warmth back into his hands.

"What sign?" He asked groggily looking around. She sighed, stood up, marched over to the wall, and pulled a piece of paper off the wall before bringing it back to shove it in his face. "Oh, that sign." He said his teeth starting to chatter wondering why he hadn't seen it before. "Why now? Why dddddid you wait twoooo hooours to cooome find me if you or Dannnnnny coooouldn't reach meeee sooner?" Mac asked his teeth starting to chatter on their own accord despite his valiant attempt to control it.

"Because Danny didn't want to give away your secret. I had to drag it out of him and only when he finally told me where you'd gone, under penalty of death by the way, that Sheldon told us about the bad regulator. I've had to open every single drawer in here to find and this is the second to last on I checked." She explained rubbing his arms as more violent side effects of near hypothermia took hold. Mac just nodded the best he could as his teeth were chattering too hard to attempt speaking for fear of biting his tongue. "You are one big stubborn idiot you know that?" She told him.

"Hhhhow ssssssso?" He asked only saying words which would assure his tongue was out of harms way.

"This never would have happened if you had just gone home to bed like I suggested hours ago." She reiterated.

"Ssssounds like annnnn I tooooool' you sssssso." He stated.

"Take it however you want Taylor. I know you're dedicated to the job but our health comes first. If we can't take care of ourselves then we get sloppy and sloppy people miss things, important things." She berated him. "Guess who told me that?" She asked looking up at him making him feel a lot warmer suddenly. He shrugged his shoulders. "You did last week when I was sick." She reminded him of what he'd said when he sent her home. That case wasn't as important they'd already had the guy in custody all they'd had to tie the murder weapon to him and wrap up the case. This one was too important to call in sick.

"Too imporrrrrtant, ssssssleep later." Mac said the chattering having eased up somewhat. Stella still rubbed his arms at his sides but the position she was in was having an adverse reaction on him. He scooted the chair back a little on to run into the wall.

"Idiot don't try to get up yet, give your muscles a chance to warm back up." She ordered misunderstanding his intentions. He had wanted to put a little distance between them but she knelt in front of him even closer this time and proceeded to rub his arms again. God didn't she how inappropriate this was? He wondered silently looking every where but her chest which was a bit too close for his liking. "Mac?" She asked making him look over at her which was the wrong thing to do.

His breath caught in his throat and he licked his lips feeling the ice crystals that had begun to form on his skin with his sensitive tongue. Her hands stilled apparently their proximity wasn't lost on her after all. She seemed to be holding her breath as well. He was about to saying something when she leaned forward and kissed sending all reason straight out the window. He let go of his death like hold on the blanket and wrapped his arms around her waist pulling her closer to him though they were already practically touching as it was.

Apparently her temper wasn't the only spark in that fiery Greek heritage of hers and she passionately kissed him back as well. He greedily helped himself to her luscious full lips and sought the warmth of her body with his hands. One hand gravitated to those curls he had longed to touch from the first day he saw her step off the elevator into his world. The other hand sank down to her waist taking possession of her with a grip of her shirt.

Every logical part of his brain screamed at him to stop reminding him of why this was wrong, but the other part of him just didn't care. He was only in his fifties after all while parts of him may have begun to sag he was still as fervent as he once was. His Stella didn't seem to mind and she returned his kissed with some of her own. Her hands found their way around his neck pulling him close. It wasn't until he put his hands under her shirt that she gasped and pulled away from him. They stared at each other both beginning to realize the full weight of what they'd done.

"Stella," He started to apologize.

"Your hands are still cold," She explained what had forced her out of the kiss that had been heading for disaster anyway.

"I uh…" he tried again.

"Uhm…" She said at nearly the same time. "I'll go tell Danny I found you and have him drive you home. Can you… Do you think you can make it to the elevator on your own?" She asked standing up quickly. He nodded his head dumbly and she gave a half smile wrapping her arms around herself.

"Stella…" He began to reach out for her but she backed away from him.

"Wait for Danny in the lobby. I'll let him know what happened and he can help you out to his car since it's probably not a good idea for you to be driving." She informed him. He could see how upset she was by their little indiscretion, her eyes were extremely pained and the way she hugged her arms to herself indicated past abuse.

He mentally punched himself in the head for having taken advantage of her. She might have started it but he knew better than to get involved with someone at the office. He didn't have to be the genius that he was to figure out the truth. He hadn't remembered the restraining order or the incident report of when she shot an ex boyfriend until that moment but he guessed the ex had been her abuser.

He cursed himself for his stupidity; the reason why she was only friends with Flack was because she shied away from physical contact. Most abused women did and he didn't imagine her to be an exception. He tried to come up with something he could say to make it better but by that time she was already gone.

Mac sighed kicked himself once more for good measure and tried to stand. Every war wound he'd ever gotten screamed at him for his unintentional abuse. Luckily he hadn't completely thawed out to hear from another part of his anatomy though it did complain a little. That could have just been from the hypothermia that had begun to set in, he reasoned as he walked towards the elevator.

He kept the blanket wrapped around his shoulders and leaned against the back of the elevator too tired and weak still to stand up on his own. The scene with Stella played over and over in his mind but he still couldn't justify his actions. She had just been doing what they were all taught to do in the treatment of a hypothermia victim. His own lack of judgment had contributed to his hasty reaction to her proximity. Her lips merely brushed against his own accidentally, he told himself… only he knew they didn't. Had she wanted him as badly as he wanted her?

The door to the elevator swung open at the floor he'd indicated though he was tempted to march himself upstairs and write himself up on report for sexual harassment even if it was nothing more than a kiss. If it had gone on any longer it would have led to more. He couldn't deny the fact that he wanted it to lead to more. As the doors parted though, the face of Danny Messer greeted him on the other side waiting to take him home. Mac sighed, gave the younger man a half smile, and allowed himself to be led from the building which he should have done hours ago.

"It's my fault, Mac." Danny said at last as he turned out into traffic taking Mac to the only home he knew about. Mac kept an apartment in the city close to work. It was the place he invited friends and coworkers to as well as female companions. He'd never taken anyone to the townhouse in the Upper East Side, Sid being the only exception because the man was still a loyal servant though Mac had given him his freedom long ago.

"You had nothing to do with it, Danny." Mac assured the younger man referring to the kiss with Stella.

"Yeah but Mac you could have died. I should have come looking for you an hour and a half ago when you didn't pick up your phone." Danny insisted talking about something else entirely. Mac sighed and laid a still shaky hand on the younger man's shoulder.

"Don't blame yourself, Kid, it's my fault for not reading the sign next to the cooler. I should have sucked in my pride and drove myself home four hours ago." Mac told him. Danny spared him a glance, a look of real fear in his eyes. Danny looked at Mac like a surrogate father not unlike Flack though his was still alive – unlike Danny's. Even Hawkes looked up to Mac he realized though he'd treated everyone miserably since Stella walked into his life. "It's not your fault Daniel." Mac assured him and Danny nodded finally accepting it as truth.

Mac determined to get his act together by tomorrow and also admitted to himself that he had fallen for Stella Bonasera. Now that he had admitted it to himself what Danny and Sid had tried to warn him of he could figure out a way to unfall for Stella. Physical attraction was induced by chemical compounds in the other person that reacted with your own chemical compounds in a favorable light.

Just because you found someone physically appealing didn't mean you had no recourse but to act on those feelings. Giving into the impulses was called lust and lust was a sin in most major religions. You could lust after someone, Mac reasoned, and not give into the impulses but not controlling the lust in the first place was what eventually led to giving into such impulses.

A real relationship was centered on more than just giving into one's impulses. Good relationships were based on commonalities, similar interests, and likeminded goals in addition to physical attraction. After the first flush of physical attraction was over the other things would see you through any rough patches that might develop. A relationship was hard work and anyone not willing to put the time and energy into it would fall into the trap of falling out of love only to seek love else where. He'd watched his parents drifting apart and Mac swore he would never enter into a relationship based on physical attraction alone as after all those years of marriage his parents had nothing to show for it.

Don's parents had been an inspiration to Mac as they had endured many years of hardships and rocky patches and were stronger for it, albeit Colleen had died. He's also seen Sid and Mary go through a number of rough patches as well over the past twenty years of marriage and they'd pulled through all of them so he was certain they would pull through this one as well.

Being in an introspective mood Mac couldn't help but analyze his own relationship with his wife. He realized that he had been ignoring the warning signs for years but didn't want to admit to the fact that he may have made the same mistake his parents had made. Maybe he hadn't tried hard enough, maybe he'd tried to hard as had begun to push her away. He couldn't think why their relationship had begun to decline and he was left with heartbreaking doubts that had she lived they could have pulled thorough them.

Before he knew it Danny had parked the car in front of his building and ran around the car to help him inside. Mac smiled at the younger man grateful for his help though Danny didn't try to intrude on his dark thoughts. Mac slipped the keys to his apartment from his pocket and handed it to Danny so he could unlock the door to his condo but the door was thrown open before he could. Peyton threw her arms around his neck and fussed over him grilling Danny about what happened but Mac gave him a reprieve and a chance to escape the interrogation.

"I'm fine, it's just a little hypothermia brought on by my own stupidity." Mac answered her questions though he didn't really want to have to deal with it tonight. All he wanted to do was crawl under his sheets and go to sleep. Danny snuck quietly away returning to his own wife and infant child.

"What do you mean hypothermia?" She asked in the British accent he'd once found so endearing. Had she been another one of those relationship he'd entered into without examining his own reasons first. "Mac? It's ninety degrees outside." She demanded facts.

"Payton I'm tired and I need a hot shower. Can you ask me about it in the morning?" He asked a little too sharply. She looked as though he'd slapped her in the face. "I'm sorry. It's just been a rough night with the boarding school murders. I didn't mean to snap at you." He apologized then turned to head to the bathroom on his own but she wouldn't leave him be like he had hoped. She slipped his arm around her neck and took over for Danny helping him down the hall.

"Tell me Mac, how'd you get hypothermia in this weather." She persisted. He sighed and rubbed his right eye with his free hand.

"I didn't want to come home and go to bed so I went down to the morgue to take a nap in the cooler. Sid does it all the time so I thought it would be alright but I didn't see the warning about the temperature regulator being on the fritz. I chose an empty slot away from the others not thinking that the reason they were empty was because of the malfunction." He explained. When they got to the bedroom she sat him down in a chair he kept outside the bathroom and disappeared inside. He heard the water for the tub go on and he groaned wishing she would just let him alone to his thoughts. She appeared at the door again and helped him to his feet. "I just wanted a hot shower to loosen up." He said.

"Listen to your doctor if you were in the cooler long enough to get hypothermia then the cold goes straight to your bones and a hot shower will only warm the top layers of you skin. A bath will get deeper into your muscles." She told him starting to unbutton his shirt but he took her hands in his unwilling to do anything at the moment. She looked into his eyes and saw his reluctance. She gave him a sad little smile and nodded her head before patting his chest when he let go of her hands. "I'll be out here when you're done." She replied. He smiled gratefully and brushed a lock of hair out of her face but refused to go further than that.

He went into the bathroom and locked the door for some privacy. He did get in the bath however which felt tremendous as it relaxed the muscles in his back which had complained loudly since he sat up from his icy nap. Mac dwelt upon his thoughts some more now that he didn't have interruption. As much as he hated to admit it he had never really loved Peyton but found her an easy tonic for the pain of loosing his wife.

Mac hated himself after coming to that realization and couldn't help but wonder how many other women he had taken advantage of over the years. He made a decision there and then that he would never make the same mistake again; especially not with Stella. He would find someway to either deal with his attraction to her which he could no longer deny or leave the crime lab all together.

He was one of the richest men in New York City he didn't have to work. He did it because he enjoyed helping people but it wasn't the only thing he could do. Chief Kane had said he was a right Sherlock Holmes when he was younger. That was what had finally convinced him to join the force. Mac could feasibly use his credentials to procure any job in America but he would miss his unit.

It was a drastic measure to be sure but one he was willing to take if it came down to hurting another woman or his own sanity. He'd locked up criminals for less than what he'd done and he wasn't about to let himself get away with it. That kiss with Stella Bonasera had been the best and worst kiss of his life, one he would never forget no matter what the outcome.


	8. Chapter 8: Answers with Questions

AN: Sorry I took so long to publish a new chapter. I've been down on my back for the last couple of days. I managed to get two chapters done the other day but today I've barely managed one and it's my shortest one yet. I hope it doesn't disapoint. Fibromyalgia makes sitting in one spot for long periods difficult on a good day but when extra pain is added on top consentrating is almost non existant. For those of you who write you understand how much concentration it takes to write a story... a good one at least. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you have the previous ones. I will keep writing but it might take me longer to post the next chapter. I will post it as soon as I can but please be patient with me as it may take a few days. Enjoy and thanks for reading! Vanidot

P.S. watching the episode where Jessica gets killed made me want to let you guys know she doesn't get killed off in my story and yes there will be a bit of peril but I promise that none of the main characters are harmed - seriously- in the writing of this story. ;-)

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter Eight: Answers with Questions Attached

After that incident with Mac in the morgue Stella sent everyone home just so she could retreat to the safety of her own apartment without giving an explanation of what had really happened that night. She kissed him! Stella Bonasera had actually kissed her boss, a guy she could barely stand the sight of two weeks ago. She found him attractive yes but in the strictest scientific sense of the word… didn't she?

She knew that some women found him extremely good looking and had he not been her boss, or on her naughty list from the get go, she might have found him attractive as well but this! She had kissed him. She had gone from extremely upset with him to practically mauling him in six seconds flat, not that he hadn't returned the kiss. Boy had he ever! She could still feel the tingles on her skin from all the places he'd touched, like electricity.

It was the touch of his cold fingers on the small of her back that had brought her back to her senses. The look in his eyes had been a slurry of conflicting emotions, everything from desire to loathing. But who was he loathing? Himself or her? She had practically thrown herself at him so the only logical choice of that hatred was Stella. Sheldon had told her that Mac was seeing someone.

Why did she have to go and do something like that, to him of all people, at a time like that? Granted she had been trying to rub the life back into him after nearly every inch of exposed flesh was blue – an exaggeration of course. There had been something in those eyes a millisecond before she kissed him.

Had he felt it too? She knew men were much more easily excited than women however she was certain that Mac of all people would have pushed her away if he hadn't wanted to kiss her as much as she had wanted to kiss him. Was it merely the fact that his inhibition was at an all time low because of the hypothermia?

Oh God, had she really taken advantage of someone else's vulnerable state? Stella was so embarrassed by her actions she wasn't sure what she should do. The only thing she could think of was to get out a piece of paper and a pencil to write about what had happened to her benefactor.

She stopped stock still in the middle of the room remembering with dread that he wouldn't get the letter anyway. She felt even more cut off from him than ever. The only thing that was left to do was something she saved as a last resort; she curled up in her bed and cried.

How would she be able to face him in the morning? That was her last thought before slipping into a fitful sleep. In her dreams she relived that moment over and over sometimes it ended the same sometimes it ended in a nightmare. The last time however they did more than just kiss.

Stella woke up in a cold sweat and had to take a shower to cool off. She couldn't shake the feeling of his hands caressing her skin, his arms holding her, but more than anything she couldn't forget those lips. The lips she had described as non existent were more than sufficient when it came to kissing.

Stella shook her head trying to clear her mind of such thoughts but more importantly the memories of kissing and being kissed by Mac Taylor. Stella couldn't get back to sleep, more like didn't want to go back to sleep because she knew she would see him. It was bad enough she couldn't get him out of her head when she was awake.

She needed something to take her mind off of that kiss and there was only one thing in her life more uncertain than her feelings for Mac Taylor, her own mysterious past. Stella went to her closet and dug out the box in which she had kept every printed note, every birthday and Christmas package wrapper, and everything that might have possibly come from Boyd Jenkins.

Even when she was younger she had been interested in finding out who her anonymous benefactor was. She'd searched through countless books in the library to find out how to solve mysteries like hers. She had even asked him for a detective kit one year for Christmas just so she could finger print the various wrappers which she had neatly folded and saved in their own individual envelopes.

She sat crossed legged on the floor of her apartment and took each bag out of the suitcase sized box and spread the notes out in front of her. There had to be something else she had missed. She just couldn't see it but there had to be something. Flack had found the information on the guy who owned the site where the post office box was located. She had asked the clerk about the person who picked up the post cards but he had only bought the place twelve years ago.

The most he could say was that it had been a woman who came in to request the mail transfer to the new address. As for a description all he remembered was that she was: 'one smokin' hot babe'; there was nothing else he could, or would tell her about the woman. That was more information than she had before. It was also proof that Boyd hadn't been the one who worked at the twin towers, unless it was his secretary.

That made Stella feel somewhat relieved though it didn't eliminate the possibility of his death entirely. The best lead she had to go, on as to Boyd's identity, was still the hand written letter. She pulled it out of the box and studied it again for the billionth time. There were no finger prints to speak of and Stella had tried getting epithelials off the note card and the envelope both but there was nothing.

She sighed and shook her head wishing she could see what was staring her in the face. She got up and stretched before going to get something to drink. She saw the box of letters she had dropped by the door when she came home. She picked up the box and carried it over to where the rest of the stuff was on the floor.

She set the bottle of water on the floor and sat back down beside the evidence. If she couldn't sleep then she was determined to find some answers to her problems. She took out the old finger printing kit and tested the letters she had sent taking a reference sample of her own to rule herself out.

There were a few she assumed were from the mail box place owner and some she could imagine were Flack's but there were no other prints. She wasn't daunted by the lack of evidence. She had already separated out most of the letters by date and found that nearly a year's worth of letters were missing. Only the last one she'd sent on 9/11 came back to the original P.O. Box address.

There was a roughly an eleven month gap if she compared the months on the last letter that had been dropped into the box to the one that came back after the attack on the twin towers. So whoever had switched the address had gotten at least twenty to thirty of her letters. But who was that woman and what connection did she have to Boyd Jenkins?

Stella pulled the rest of letters out of the box and was surprised to find something that wasn't hers. Apparently, in her haste in to return everything to the box so she could bring it home with her, she had mistakenly grabbed Sid's autopsy report on the first rape victim. Stella sighed and shook her head at her own unintentional mishandling of official documents.

She cursed under her breath that she had been so careless. Files of any kind weren't allowed to leave the office except on official business. She would have to tell somebody but unfortunately the one person she would have to tell was the one person she couldn't face; Mac Taylor. Stella couldn't believe her bad luck but then what did she expect kissing her boss. She shook her head again refusing to start thinking about Mac again. She had just gotten that incident out of her head.

She put the autopsy report down a little harder than she meant to and it popped open. When she went to close it again something caught her eye, the name Sidney Hammerback. Only it wasn't his nomenclature that caught her attention, rather it was his style of handwriting. Stella picked up the file and examined the writing closely. She couldn't believe her eyes, so to be absolutely sure she grabbed the note card that had come on her sixteenth birthday.

She held the card as close to the form as possible and examined it using the magnifying glass that had come in her detective kit. Without computer analysis she couldn't be one hundred percent certain but she was at least ninety-nine percent sure. Dr. Sidney Hammerback was none other than Boyd Jenkins. Stella was so excited she couldn't contain herself her, first instinct was to call him and ask all of the million plus questions she'd been desperate to know all her life.

Stella bit her lip feeling like she was going to cry and laugh at the same time. It was too much! She had been searching for her benefactor for the last thirty-eight years but now that she had found him… she wasn't sure what to think or to feel for that matter. What was someone with enough money to leave her practically a fortune working in a morgue? For that matter why was he working at all? Maybe he had fallen on hard times but that couldn't have been it. He could have withdrawn the funds from her trust at anytime to use the money for himself.

She recalled the look on Sid's face when Sheldon first said her name maybe he had recognized it. But if that were the case then why hadn't he said anything? Why had he not contacted her before? Stella laid the stuff down and stood up; she couldn't stay still any longer. She paced the floor unable to remain calm, her mind racing. She felt sick and nervous at the same time.

What if he didn't want to hear from her? That would explain why there was over eleven years worth of letters in the box. That put the time slightly around the time she graduated from the academy, but that would mean he didn't know she was a cop. He also wouldn't know she was a CI either but then he would if had talked to the lawyer.

Stella knelt down by the box again and looked over the dates on the letters and her fear was confirmed. The last letter in the box dated to the time she joined the force the last envelope in the bottom of the box was the picture she had sent him of her in her police uniform. At that thought Stella broke down into tears. Did he even care about her any more?

They had worked with each other for weeks and had even become friends. Why hadn't he said anything? If he knew about her then he should have at least made some attempt tell her the truth. She quickly analyzed every single conversation she'd ever had with the good doctor and realized that maybe he had.

Sid had questioned her about her background, subtly of course but it had been there; curiosity about her life. Maybe it was by accident that he had lost contact with her. What if he had never gotten the letters in the first place? She rummaged through her treasure box to find the instructions with the original address. It was the same, she knew she hadn't gotten the address wrong but why hadn't he gotten them?

What sick twist of fate had her precious letters gathering dust? Did he even wonder why he had stopped receiving them? Stella was so confused and while she had answers to one question she found herself needing even more. She desperately wanted to pick up the phone and call Sid to demand some answers but she knew he had a family, though they were out of town until the private school killer was caught.

She also knew that this case was particularly tough on him because he had known both of the girls killed. She sighed feeling guilty for even wanting to bother him so late. No matter how hard it was she would just have to wait until tomorrow. She looked at the clock, it already was tomorrow but there were still at least five more hours to go before she could talk to Sid.

Stella tried so hard to get to some rest but the most she could do was toss and turn. When she did finally fall into a fitful sleep she dreamed. This time instead of dreaming about Mac Taylor she dreamt about that night in the hospital long ago. She had a vague recollection of singing but it wasn't English or Greek. She was so close to finding the answers to all her questions and yet still so far away.


	9. Chapter 9: Disappearance

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter Nine: Disappearance

Mac was gone before Peyton woke up. He didn't want to deal the questions she was sure to ask so he went for a jog hoping to relieve some stress. He couldn't erase the memory of that kiss from his mind no matter how hard he struggled. He tried to free himself of the feel of her kiss, the touch of her skin, the heavenly scent that had teased his senses for the last few weeks. He kicked himself for taking advantage of Stella's kindness.

She was just trying to save his life and he had taken the opportunity to kiss her. Maybe she had been the one to kiss him first, maybe he had initiated it he couldn't be sure anymore. He kept reliving that brief moment over and over again in his head. Age difference aside, he was her boss. He knew better than to take advantage of one of his subordinates. The worst of it was he had taken advantage of a woman he was beginning to admire.

How was he ever going to face Stella again? Mac prided himself on being a professional, especially keeping his private and business life separate. That's how he liked things. He didn't like complications. There were too many variables to consider when it came to relationships with a co-worker. While the younger set might not find that situation unappealing Mac didn't want the hassle. He was actually glad when Peyton decided to move back to England because he didn't have to try so hard to hide their relationship any longer.

Mac didn't know what to think or what to feel anymore. He was confused and he hated feeling that way. He had only felt this helpless twice before in his lifetime. Once the night his parents were killed and again when he learned he would never see Claire again. Even loosing his men to the terrorist cell hadn't made him feel as helpless as he did right then.

Wandering around the city was never a good idea but he guessed some part of him knew to seek help. He found himself in front of the carriage house that he had let Sid and his family move into. Mac had need of advice and a sympathetic ear. He felt a sense of relief that his feet had brought him to the one place he knew he could find it even though he'd started out wandering aimlessly.

Mac looked both ways before crossing the street and knocked on the door to the grey, gothic styled carriage house. It was just up the block from Mac's house and while the styles of the homes didn't match perfectly they were both grey and both ornate. Mac's, however, was just a bit more ornate than the building that used to house his family's carriages as well as servants. Before that advent of automobiles carriage homes were built downwind of the main residence and housed most of the livery servants while maids lived in the attic of the main residence.

Mac waited for an answer to the knock on the door but when none was forth coming, he banged on the door again. He made a mental note to install one of those new systems were Sid and his family could view who was outside without having to come down to street level in person. He was about to knock again when he heard locks being turned and a second later the door opened to reveal a pajama clad Sid rubbing his eyes.

"Mac, what are you doing here?" Sid asked curiously though not unwelcoming.

"I'm sorry to wake you Sid but can I come in?" Mac asked curiously. Sid nodded his head suspecting something was up. Mac was sure the older man could read him as he felt that all of his defenses were down.

"Go on up I'll be right there." Sid replied stepping aside to let Mac pass.

There were a few other details that Mac noticed could use some updating. He'd already stripped the house of asbestos a long time ago but the peeling paint and narrow stair case should be altered he thought trying to take his mind off the troubles at hand. Mac made his way to the second floor above where the carriages and horses would have been kept over a hundred years ago. There were even more things that needed fixing up stairs as well but for the most part the bones and structure of the dwelling were good.

It had been modernized sometime in the late twenties early thirties but the home still looked much the same as it had when it was first built. The gas lights had been retrofitted with electricity and indoor plumbing had been added but the wide moldings and details were indicative of the turn of the century. Most wealthy people prided themselves on having lavish accommodations even for their servants as a show off their riches but mainly to demonstrate that they also had a charitable side as well. His family had been no different.

Mac took in every detail and every flaw at the same time while still thinking of a hundred different things at once. His mind just worked that way though people were amazed by his ability to do ten different things at once and still get the job done efficiently. He couldn't help it. Some called him a genius though he didn't let it go to his head. His father had big plans for Mac but all he'd ever wanted to be was be a Marine. Some people, his father included, thought he was merely wasting his intelligence by going into the military but what was the sense of having intelligence if you didn't put it to good use.

He'd met a lot of people in his line of work just as smart if not smarter than he was but few of them used that knowledge to benefit someone other than themselves. His father had wanted him to be a lawyer like he was, just as his father had been before him and so on. That wasn't the life Mac had wanted to live and he had broken free from that mold, he was just saddened that it had taken his father's death to see it through.

Mac always wondered if his father had lived whether he would have given into his parents' wishes. It was something that would plague him to his dying day. It took the smell of coffee to rouse him from his musings but when he looked around he didn't see Sid anywhere. He heard the sound of water running in the bathroom and guessed where the other man had gotten to.

Mac started to fix breakfast thinking it was the least he could do for waking the man at six o'clock in the morning. Sid had taught him to cook all those years ago and Mac was pretty good at it though he hadn't cooked in a very long time. Mac allowed the busyness of his hands to fill his mind which let him forget for a few minutes at least the thoughts plaguing him. He was finished with the meal and just spreading butter on the toast when Sid came out fresh from the shower and dressed as if he was going to work.

"This is a rare treat, how long's it been since you fixed anything that didn't come out of a can?" Sid remarked. Mac shot him a glare but he couldn't deny the truth.

"Mine and Claire's ten year anniversary." Mac acknowledged the last day he'd cooked a real meal preferring to order out rather than fix something he alone would eat. Sid patted his back as he brushed passed to pour them each a cup of coffee.

"Well what's the occasion to induce you to bring your cooking skills out of moth balls?" Sid asked curiously. Mac didn't answer right away instead finished spreading the butter on the four slices of toast. He added the slices to their plates and brought them to the table while Sid fetched the half and half from the fridge. When the two of them sat down at the table was when Mac finally decided to answer.

"I kissed Stella," Mac admitted causing Sid to choke on his coffee which he hadn't noticed the man begin to drink. Mac jumped up and patted his friend's back until he could catch his breath. "You alright?" Mac asked worriedly. Sid nodded his head and Mac returned to his seat.

"I will be after I recover from near asphyxiation caused by your startling revelation. Was I imagining things or did you really just confess to kissing Stella. The same Stella who you couldn't stand just two weeks ago?" Sid questioned. Mac sighed and nodded his head. "No wonder you made breakfast. You knew I'd need sustenance in order to wrap my head around this." He figured out. Mac gave a sheepish half grin as his answer.

"Guilty as charged, Sid." Mac answered biting into his toast. "What's the verdict?" he wondered.

"Well unless they started arresting people for death by accidental drowning I think you'll get off. If you think I'm going to press charges for kissing a minor your wrong. Stella's of legal age now; whether you think she's too young or not is for the two of you to work out. How did this happen? You kissing Stella I mean." Sid wanted to know. Mac shrugged his shoulders.

"I took a nap in the cooler like I've seen you and Sheldon do. I figured it would be okay with the drawer open a crack. I didn't see the sign warning about the temperature regulator being out." Mac added before Sid could say what he was about to. "Stella found me two hours after I told Danny to wake me up and by that time I was starting to suffer from the side effects of hypothermia. She began standard rescue procedures and one thing led to another." He explained.

"The two of you kissed?" Sid gathered from the evidence at hand. Mac nodded his head taking a drink of his coffee. "Who kissed who?" He wanted to know.

"Does it matter?" Mac asked. Sid shrugged. "What matter's is that it never should have happened." He declared.

"Well let's establish reasonable doubt. Do you love Stella?" Sid began his interrogation.

"I think you know the answer to that, Sid." Mac answered.

"Okay well do you admit to being at least slightly attracted to her?" Sid reworded the question.

"I'm in a relationship right now Sid." Mac argued.

"That's not what I asked, Mac. Do you wish to withdraw your statement?" Sid asked.

"Can I plead the fifth?" Mac asked. Sid chuckled but shook his head. "Alright yes I find Stella attractive but I'm not interested in making my life any more complicated than it already is." He made a full confession. He waited for the jury to deliberate but Sid just sat there chewing his food thoughtfully. Mac grew anxious for the verdict while the jury was out.

"My previous judgment stands Mac it's not up to me to tell you one way or the other that your guilty of what ever it is you want to be liable for. I can't be your conscious Mac. So what if Stella is twelve years younger than you? Your parents were fourteen years apart and they didn't seem to mind." Sid told him. Mac sighed in frustration.

"That's precisely why I refuse to date someone with such a dramatic age difference to my own. You only worked for us for eight years, Sid, you didn't see the division it caused between them. My parents fought constantly when I was growing up and I swore I would never marry someone that much younger than I am." Mac proclaimed.

"I know you're more traditional than most men but these days sharing a kiss with someone doesn't necessarily lead to a marriage proposal." Sid assured him. Mac shook his head and pushed his empty plate away.

"I'm in a steady relationship, Sid, the point is I should never have kissed Stella." Mac insisted.

"I'm sorry," Sid said looking confused. "This steady relationship wouldn't be with Peyton would it?" he wondered.

"You know it is, Sid." Mac told him.

"Mac, you know I view Peyton as a valuable co-worker and friend but she lives in England and is here what three months out of the year. In what way is that a steady relationship?" Sid wanted to know.

"Actually she's in my apartment right this minute." Mac told him. Sid raised his eyebrows at that crouching over his cup of coffee which he held between both hands.

"If she's there then why are you here?" Sid asked.

"Because," He stood up and walked away. "I was afraid she'd ask me questions I wasn't ready to answer yet. She was there last night when I came home, Sid. I had to tell her what happened." Mac confessed.

"You told her about the kiss?" Sid exclaimed.

"I'm not that stupid, Sid. But if she starts asking questions she might find out about it." Mac replied.

"What are you more worried about, Peyton finding out about Stella or Stella finding out about Peyton?" Sid wanted to know. Mac cast the man a glare before turning to face the window. That was the one question he didn't know the answer to. "Do you not know the answer or do you not want to know the answer to that?" he inquired. Mac turned to look at him again. "What it's a simple question?" Sid defended himself. Mac sighed and shook his head.

"I don't know Sid. I just don't know any more. Until she showed up my life was simple, I miss simple." Mac admitted.

"Mac if there's only one thing I've learned in this life is that life is anything but simple. We can simplify our lives as much as possible but there will always be a touch of uncertainty in it. That's just part of life Mac. You can't avoid it even if you shut yourself off from outside influences completely. You didn't close yourself off after your parents died because you knew they would want you to be happy. Why are you trying so hard to close yourself off now? Is it Claire? Is this about Stella?" Sid wondered.

"This doesn't have anything to do with Stella Bonasera, Sid." Mac declared.

"That wasn't the Stella I was referring to, Mac." Sid countered. Mac stared at him in surprise for a few minutes. He turned back to look out the window and shrugged his shoulders. Yet another question he didn't have an answer for. It had been gnawing at him for last few weeks and if he were completely honest with himself then more like several years.

Why hadn't he heard from her in so long? It was not too long after she graduated from the City University of New York that he had received the last letter. She was twenty-seven but she had talked about studying abroad for year in Greece where her mother was from. It was shortly after her return from abroad that her letters had ceased coming. Maybe Sid was right, he should contact the lawyer to see what had become of his Stella.

He was afraid! Afraid to face her, afraid to know the truth, but more importantly afraid of the numerous questions she was sure to ask. How could he tell her what he didn't know himself? What if she blamed him for the accident that killed her parents? How could he set a side all those years of guilt to be there for her?

It had always been there in the back of his mind, that nagging doubt. What if he had gotten to the scene of the accident a few minutes sooner? He knew the Wentworths had been killed on impact but he couldn't help wondering, if only he'd gotten there sooner maybe he could have saved them. How could he bring himself to face Stella? He couldn't even bring himself to face Stella Bonasera at the moment and it hadn't been thirty-eight years since he'd seen her last.

"Mac you've got to stop hiding from the past." Sid spoke up. Mac sighed and shook his head.

"I'm not hiding Sid. I just…" He began.

"If you're not hiding then what are you doing? You haven't once tried to contact her. I understand your wanting to let her have her own life but come on Mac her parents died. Your face was the first one she saw when she woke up. You have to know that she would want to find you. You could have at least let her say thank you if nothing else." Sid told him.

"She did say thank you Sid in the first letter Eileen helped her write. That letter is the whole reason why I asked her to send me more, you know that." Mac replied.

"Yes but you never once wrote her back. Why?" Sid wanted to know. Mac shrugged his shoulders.

"I wanted to give her the freedom to choose her own destiny." Mac informed him.

"You do realize that by staying away you might have just made her want to find you even more." Sid persisted.

"You're going somewhere with this, Sid" Mac stated the obvious.

"I was talking to Sheldon, Mac, Stella grew up in St. Basil's orphanage. I know you don't want to admit it but Stella Bonasera could be our Stella." Sid dropped the ball.

"Stella Bonasera is at least a year older than Stella Wentworth. Even if it was her how do you explain the difference in last names, Sid. It can't be her." Mac countered.

"It can't or do you just not want it to be her?" Sid threw back

"I don't know maybe a bit of both." He admitted. "But even if what you say is true how can it be? The logistics are all wrong. Did Sheldon even say how she lost her parents? Maybe it's just a coincidence and even if she was our Stella how do explain the dissimilar last name and the age difference?" Mac asked.

"I don't know maybe Mr. Wentworth was just a family friend. Maybe she looked younger than she actually was. Maybe…" Sid began.

"There's an awful lot of maybes there Sid," Mac interjected. "I'm scientist I don't deal in the hypothetical I look at the evidence before me. Stella Bonasera and Stella Wentworth can't be the same person even if they did happen to be at the same orphanage." Mac made a ruling he wasn't about to let someone over turn. His Stella couldn't possibly be the same woman who worked in his office.

"Alright Mac, if you want to deem evidence inadmissible without even looking at it fine but please at least go talk to Fredrick. Maybe he can tell you what you refuse to even consider. I for one would be happy if be some strange twist of fate Stella turned out to be our girl. I got as much out of reading her letters as you did." Sid told him. Mac sighed and nodded his head. Sid was usually the one to pick up the letters and pass them along to Mac so it was only natural that the man would read them as well. Mac had borrowed the name Jenkins from him so they were addressed to Sid as much as they were addressed to him.

"I'll drop in and see Fred after we wrap up this case." Mac said without really committing to anything.

"You ready to head to work?" Sid asked curiously smart enough to know Mac wasn't interested in continuing the conversation.

"I thought you took some time off," Mac observed.

"I did but there are other bodies to see to and Peyton flew in to work the case in my place." Sid revealed the reason for Peyton's sudden appearance.

"If you knew she was here the least you could have done was to warn me." Mac told him indignantly.

"I didn't know myself until shortly before you got here. She called me to let me know she was in town and to ask if I'd seen you yet this morning." Sid answered.

"When was that?" Mac demanded.

"About five minutes before you banged on my door," He replied.

"What did you tell her?" Mac wanted to know.

"That I hadn't seen you but I'd let you know she was looking for you if I saw you. There I said it now I won't have to lie to her when I see her later this afternoon." Sid affirmed getting up to put the dirty dishes in the sink and to grab his car keys. "Do you want me to take you home so you can get cleaned up and change?" Sid asked. Mac nodded his head feeling too full to run back to his place.

They headed down to street level and got in Sid's Forester. He drove Mac to the town house where he took a quick shower and put on a fresh suit before heading back downstairs to meet Sid who had waited for him. They drove into work together parting ways when they actually got into the building; Mac to his office while Sid headed downstairs to his.

There was no sign of Stella yet but Mac was a good ten to fifteen minutes ahead of schedule and few people were actually in the lab that early in the morning. Something Sid said was bugging Mac so he switched on his computer and did a quick search through their database. In the tri-state area there was only one Stella Bonasera listed, he hadn't expected anything less.

When he did a search for Stella Wentworth however the results came back negative. Frowning he widened his search parameters and still came back with zero listings. When he broadened the search to both national and international databases there was still no match to the name. Confused now, more than ever, Mac was determined to call his father's old business partner, Frederick Pierce. It might not have been as well known as Drexler, Sutcliff and Myers, but the law firm of Taylor and Pierce had been in business for well over a century.

He couldn't figure out why there was no record of a Stella Wentworth anywhere. What did that mean? He was certain she wasn't just a figment of his imagination though that could explain why she had suddenly vanished. He picked up the phone to call an old friend just to be sure he hadn't been going insane all these years. If anyone would know if his Stella existed it would be the man who was there when she woke up in the hospital. Sheriff Kane would corroborate his story and prove that Stella Bonasera was not his Stella.


	10. Chapter 10: Lost and Found

AN: Okay here's another chapter. I found out what was wrong with my back... gallstones. It wasn't really anything wrong with my back afterall, silly me. The pain just happened to radiate into my back hence the misdiagnosis on my part. I'm fine now that I'm taking the right medicine for it. Thanks for being patient with me and I hope to churn out more chapters sooner from now on. Have fun reading and I hope you enjoy. Yes, I know Stella hasn't found her real benefactor but she will soon I promise but not before Mac does... probably. You have to keep reading to find out more. Stay tuned!

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Chapter Ten: Lost and Found

Stella couldn't wait to get into work the next morning even though she barely slept the night before. She had called Sheldon to ask him where Sid lived only to find out he was due back at work this morning. That was the best news she'd heard in a long time. By the time she made it to work she could hardly contain her excitement but she was also nervous. After all this time she had finally found her benefactor.

Stella paced outside the M.E.'s office unable to go in. Even though she had a million questions she wasn't sure where to start first. For the fifteenth times she started for the door but this time before she had a chance to back out again someone came through the doors. Stella was just as shocked as the other woman was as they had never seen each other before.

"Hello, can I help you?" the woman asked curiously with a decidedly English accent.

"I was looking for Sid." Stella informed her. "I don't think I've ever met you before. I'm Stella Bonasera." She introduced herself.

"Peyton Driscoll, Sid's not here at the moment. Is it something I can help you with?" Peyton asked curiously.

"No thanks I just needed to talk to him about something personal I'll come back later." Stella replied.

"I can give him a message if you'd like." Peyton offered. "I haven't seen you around before how long have you been at the crime lab?" She wanted to know.

"Just a few weeks. I transferred in from the twelfth precinct's crime unit." Stella offered. "And you?" Stella was also curious to know.

"I'm here to help out on the private school murder case. Sid's too close to the case so they asked me back. I've worked here for eight years or so until recently, I took a job teaching in London. I have family there." Peyton Driscoll explained. Stella felt a bit relieved though she couldn't explain why.

"It's really great of you to come back and help like this." Stella told her.

"Well I also wanted to see Mac. I don't get to see him as often since I took the job back home." She added causing Stella's breath to catch in her throat. In her excitement she had nearly forgot about that kiss with Mac. Stella kept her features as emotionless as possible while trying to recover from the inner turmoil she now felt.

"Are you and… Detective Taylor an item?" Stella asked trying to sound as innocently curious as possible. Peyton smiled and nodded in response. "How long?" She wanted to know.

"Six years. I've been back in England for the last year but we're working it out the best we can." Peyton told her as though trying to convince herself as much as a possible rival.

"That's nice," Stella told her causally wanting to be out of there quickly. "Just… tell Sid I'll catch up with him later." She added and started for the door.

"I can give that to Sid if you'd like." Peyton offered seeing the folder in Stella's hand.

"Thanks I'll hang on to it. I wanted to go over some of his notes from the last case we were working on." Stella lied. "See you around." She added and made a hasty retreat. She bit her lip feeling disappointed and a little upset. She was a bit unsure which bothered her more the revelation that Mac already had a girlfriend or that Sid wasn't around. Stella wondered if one impromptu kiss could be considered cheating. She felt guilty nonetheless.

Not wanting to face Lindsey at the moment she went in search of Hawkes hoping to talk to someone but sneaking past Mac's office was going to be rather difficult. She took the stairs and hid around the corner peaking into the glass room Mac called home while at work. She sighed in relief when she didn't see him; she was certainly not willing to face him yet.

She made a bee line to the space Sheldon shared with Danny but found the two of them out in the field. She sighed and shook her head in disappointment. She wanted to talk to someone. She went back to her own cubicle and set the file she'd accidentally brought home with her on her desk. She sighed and took the note out of the file where she'd been hiding it in case she had run into Mac.

Stella took the birthday wish to hand writing analysis once more only this time she had a reference sample and it came back to a perfect match, further proof that her assumption had been right. She printed off the computer results and took everything back to her office to study. She was lost in thought when she felt a hand alight on her shoulder and she jumped.

"Sorry I didn't mean to startle you. Peyton said you were looking for me." The very man she wanted to see said from her elbow.

"Sid!" She exclaimed jumping to her feet. For lack of knowing what else to do she hugged him.

"Okay, not that I don't enjoy being hugged by extremely beautiful women but did I do something to deserve this." Sid spoke up.

"I can't believe it's you! I mean you're really here. You don't know how long I've been waiting to meet you; how many hours I've searched and here you are. What are the odds of that?" Stella enthused pushing away to get a really good look at the man she knew only as Boyd Jenkins. "I found you!" She exclaimed happily. He frowned in confusion and shook his head.

"I only went to grab a cup of coffee." Sid told her unknowingly. She guided him to the couch in the shared office before closing the door and taking a seat beside him.

"I'm Stella." She told him excitedly.

"Yes I know, are you feeling alright?" He asked putting a hand up to feel her forehead. She laughed and pulled his hand away holding the back of his hand to her cheek.

"It's me Sid, I know I've grown up so you probably don't recognize me. I'm that little girl you saved thirty-eight years ago in Maine. I've finally found you!" She revealed her own emotions too tumultuous to consider what he might be feeling at the moment. He stared t her in disbelief for the longest time before using his free hand to brush her hair out of her face.

"I thought perhaps… it can't be." He whispered in an awed tone.

"It is true it's really me." Stella confessed.

"But how? When we found you they said your name was Stella Wentworth." Sid questioned not bothering to deny the truth.

"Edward Wentworth was just a friend who offered to drive us home. He and my mother weren't actually married." Stella explained.

"I considered that a possibility but yours and your mother's belongings were found in his apartment here in the city." Sid wondered about information he'd received.

"He was letting us stay with him until we found a place of our own. Mama traveled around to different museums helping with Greek artifacts." Stella told him. "The last place we stayed was Toronto before coming here. Mama had to wrap up the antiquities collection up there before coming here to oversee the move." She added what little information she knew on the subject. At six years of age there were a lot of things she didn't understand about her mother's job.

"Stella, my Stella. What are the odds of that?" He asked the same thing she had a few moments before. They shared a laugh and took several minutes to just look each other over. "Oh but there's something you need to know I'm not…" Sid began.

"Please don't try to deny it. I know you're Boyd Jenkins I have your handwriting to prove it." She pleaded with him jumping up to get the note card as well as the rest of her evidence. She handed it to him and he looked at it in stunned silence for several minutes.

"Did you like the pearls?" He asked after several minutes.

"Of course I love them. How could I not you picked them out for me. It's the most precious item I own." She replied kneeling down before him.

"But Stella there's something you need to know I'm not…" Sid began but frowned and stopped. "Have you told Mac about this?" He asked curiously. She also frowned and shook her head looking up at him.

"I wanted you to be the first to know. I thought maybe you didn't want every one else to know how rich you really are. But then if you're a doctor that makes sense why you'd have so much money. Why, Sid? Why me? Why did you pick me out of all the other people you could have helped?" She asked tears streaming down her face. He brushed the tears away and smiled down at her.

"Why not? How could anyone ignore such a beautiful girl as you? You inspire others to want to protect you and that night you needed protection. Stella you really need to know… Mac's not…" Sid tried and failed to say something. Stella stood up and moved away from him not wanting to hear about Mac Taylor at the moment. "We thought you were dead." Sid said at last.

"What? Why?" She wanted to know turning on her heal to face him.

"Because the letters stopped coming. We didn't know what to think." He replied obviously talking about the lawyer who set up her trust fund but she frowned knowing that couldn't be right because she still got a stipend every month. Then she remembered Sid was married, maybe he was referring to his wife.

"I have them. I'm not sure what happened but I sent you the letters, lots of them," she laughed sheepishly. "Somehow the post office box place messed up and instead of passing them along to you they just stayed there gathering dust in the box. It must have been a terribly big box is all I can say because there were at least a hundred in there. How long haven't you gotten them?" Stella inquired.

"The last letter we got talked about your trip to Naousa, Greece." Sid revealed an even larger gap than accounted for and she sank into her office chair.

"Then you didn't know I joined the force, but wait if you didn't get the letters who did? The earliest date I have is the letter with my police academy photo in it. Where are the other letters?" Stella wondered. "You don't think your wife would have taken them do you? I mean if she were jealous or something…" She began but Sid shook his head.

"I've always been upfront with Mary. She's always been fine with it. There is another possibility but I'll have to let you know. Do me a favor and don't tell Mac yet. I should be the one to tell him." Sid told her. She huffed thinking he didn't need to be told about it at all since it was personal, just between her and Sid. "Look Stella I know about the kiss." Sid revealed making her look up at him in surprise. "Mac told me about it. He feels just as badly as you do Stella. I'm sure you're both blaming yourself just give it some time. Everything will work out for the best you'll see." Sid assured her.

"How can it Sid? For one thing he's my boss and for another he's already seeing someone." Stella objected.

"He's also twelve years older than you are." Sid reminded her but Stella shrugged it off. "That doesn't bother you?" He was curious to know.

"Why would it? Age doesn't matter to me as much as his being in a relationship." She replied. Sid gave her a smile and put his hands on her shoulders.

"Peyton is a good friend of mine, Stella, but I've known Mac a lot longer. He isn't serious about her. He may think he is but he hasn't been serious about anyone since Claire died, until now of course. I haven't seen him like this in a very long time, Stella, he really does care about you." Sid assured her. Stella felt her heart flip at the thought but shook her head.

"I forgot about Mac's wife." She replied. "Don told me about her." She explained when she noticed the look of confusion on his face.

"Yes, Don was with Mac when he got word of the towers falling. It was hard on all of us, but Mac most of all." Sid explained. Stella nodded in understanding.

"I'm sure you did everything you could for him." She told him thinking Mac was another one of Sid's rescues like she was which made the most sense.

"Mac has been like a son to me," Sid nodded his head confirming her theory.

"There are so many things I want to tell you, so much I want to say." Stella told him. He nodded his head and pulled her into another hug.

"I'm not going anywhere Stella. We have all the time in the world to catch up. I want to hear all about your life from the time I lost touch until now. I have to talk to Mac first can we get together after work?" Sid requested.

"Of course, we both have work to do I should have thought." Stella agreed shaking her head. She shouldn't have allowed her excitement to override her judgment.

"Yes we do. Just promise me you'll let me tell Mac first okay." Sid asked. Stella frowned but nodded her head. "Trust me Stella, Mac wouldn't have woken me up at six this morning if he hadn't been as affected by the kiss as you seem to be." He added. Stella blushed but looked up at him in surprise.

"He did that?" She wanted to know. Sid smiled and nodded his head.

"Oh yeah, Mac even fixed me breakfast. He might be trying to deny it but he can't fool me even if he can convince himself otherwise. He was lost the minute you walked into this office Stella." He told her. She laid her head on Sid's shoulder to cover the smile that slipped onto her face.

Even though she knew it was inappropriate it made her feel good to know that Mac felt something for her after all. Then maybe it was guilt on his part that put the look of loathing she'd seen in his eyes, self loathing. It mattered a lot to her what Mac thought, a lot more than she thought it would.

"Mac's really that much older than I am?" She asked blushing and burying her face deeper into his chest. He chuckled and pulled her chin up to meet her gaze.

"You don't look your age either. We thought you were only four or five." Sid told her she smiled and nodded her head. She had been graced with a youthful appearance.

"I was six." She informed him. "That's why I got the strand of pearls on my seventeenth birthday." Stella figured out.

"Sorry about that. It was my fault I guess I should have found out from Fred what your real age was. We just assumed and never bothered to confirm it with the lawyers." Sid apologized.

"That's okay Sid, I'm just glad I found you after all these years." She replied.

"You've been looking for me?" Sid wanted to know.

"All my life." She answered.

"I'm glad you found us, Stella. I kept saying you would be curious to know who your benefactor was. Especially after you requested that detective kit at eight… sorry nine years old. Most girls ask for dolls not a finger printing kit." Sid observed. "That reminds me you have to come to dinner when the girls are back. I want you to meet Mary and my daughter Annabelle." He offered.

"Are you sure that's good idea?" Stella wondered.

"Of course! Why would you think other wise?" Sid inquired before catching on to what caused her reluctance. "Stella I already told you Mary knows everything and she's fine with it. I haven't lied to her or my daughters. I know they would love to meet you." He reassured her.

"Then why did you never try to contact me? Why did you throw me away?" Stella cried. He pulled her into his arms and held her tightly to her.

"Oh, Stella is that what you thought? I'm so sorry. That's not what… We didn't mean to… That was never our intent, believe me. I wanted to tell you but there are things you don't know. I can't tell you why, not yet but I will soon. I promise I'll explain everything before long." He vowed in a soothing tone. She held on to him letting the years of frustration and pain drain out of her.

"I guess if I've waited this long I can wait a little while longer for all the answers." Stella allowed. She smiled up at him and he kissed her forehead.

"I can't believe you really found us." Sid exclaimed memorizing every detail of her face.

"Of all the people I imagined you'd be like I'm really glad it's you." Stella told him. He smiled at that but had a strange look on his face.

"I have to go, I'll see you later." Sid told her. Stella nodded her head and let go of him. For lack of anything better to do she hugged her arms to herself and watched him walk away. It wasn't exactly how she had imagined it would go but she had found Boyd Jenkins and he hadn't rejected her; that was all that mattered. After so many years of looking she had finally found her benefactor.


	11. Chapter 11: Stellar Revelations

AN: Okay, in honor of the August 23, 2011 Earthquake that rocked the Eastern Coast of America earlier today expect an literary earthquake in the near future. I'm going to find a way to work one into the story though I don't know how yet. Sorry it's taken me so long to post another chapter but I've still been sick though I'm doing better now. Maybe I should say I was doing better until 1:51 pm EST when the earth quake shook me up a little. I know a 5.9 on the Richter scale may not seem like much to those of you who are used to them on a near daily basis but I've experienced two in my entire life and today's was one of them. Before the one that struck my state a few years ago, the closest thing I got to one was when something accidentally blew up at the local army base. I'm not as close to the epicenter as I used to be but I'm still close enough to it that I didn't have my land legs when it hit. It was literally the scariest thing that happened to me since 9/11 and then like now my dad was at work in the Nation's Capitol. He's fine though, we all are but it's food for thought or fodder take your pick.

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Chapter 11: Stellar Revelations

Mac Taylor couldn't believe what Sheriff Kane had told him. Maybe he just didn't want to he wasn't sure. The only way to get positive proof was to talk to his father's old business partner. It wasn't like him to leave work early but he just had to know without a doubt. If what Kane had said was true then Stella Bonasera was his Stella Wentworth. Mac drove to the law firm he'd practically grown up in, when he wasn't at home or in school he was always at the office visiting his dad.

Mac made his way to the thirty-fifth floor of the building where Taylor and Pierce had their office. He headed straight for Fred's office even though he didn't have an appointment. He waved to a few people wishing to greet him but he didn't have the patience to talk to anyone at the moment.

"Oh, Mac what are you doing here? How long's it been?" Fred's secretary exclaimed when he approached the desk. The older woman stood up and hugged him, he gave her a pathetic smile as he didn't feel much like renewing old acquaintances.

"Hello Gwen, Claire's funeral probably. Is Fred in?" He asked when she pulled away. Gwen Petrov nodded before returning to her seat.

"You know Mr. Pierce, the only way to get him to retire is by taking him out in a body bag." Gwen smiled at him.

"Is he busy?" Mac asked almost hoping for an excuse to back out.

"You know he's always got time for you. Go on in," She disregarded his silent plea.

"Thanks," He told her and went to knock on the door near her desk.

"Enter," came the familiar voice of his father's junior partner who was head of a law firm which now did business internationally. Mac opened the door and let himself in. Fred looked up from his desk and waved him inside even though he was on the phone. Fred was having a heated conversation with someone on the other end of the line "Yes you do that, bye. Mac, what brings you here?" He wanted to know as he hung up the phone. Fred came around from the other side of the desk and gave Mac a hug as well. Fred was kind of like the uncle Mac had never had. He was a fourth generation of only children… yet another reason he didn't want to marry someone so much younger than himself. After Claire died he'd given up the dream of starting a family not that he'd been in a hurry while she was alive.

"I came to talk about my beneficiary." Mac answered as Fred pulled away. The other man smacked his shoulders and nodded his head before returning to his chair. Mac grimaced trying to ignore the sting as he took a seat also.

"That Stella girl, what about her? You haven't changed you mind all of a sudden have you?" "Fred inquired.

"No of course not… that is if she's still… I mean…" Mac began suddenly feeling flustered. Frederick Pierce was one of only two people Mac felt completely at ease around. "Is she still alive, Fred?" He wanted to know.

"Lord, what a question to ask, McKenna." The other man frowned at him. "If I'm not mistaken that's your department, no pun intended. I can't vouch for proof of life but I can tell you someone is still receiving a stipend in her name. Her apartment is still being lived in and as far as I know funds are still being withdrawn from her account. Hold on a sec," He told Mac before pushing a button on desktop telephone. "Gwen, please bring me that file." Fred asked into it. It only took a minute for Gwen to appear with the requested folder. "Thanks Gwen. Yep, Stella's still using her accounts. She just paid her gas and electric from the account. She deposited five thousand into a long term certificate of deposit and purchased a pearl broach with matching bracelet Tiffany's." Fred informed him. Mac sat up in his seat frowning a little.

"How do you know all of this?" Mac asked. "Are you keeping tabs on her?" He wondered.

"You might think that but actually she's come to me on more than one occasion. She checks in on what she is and isn't allowed under the assignment of funds you provided for her. You know Mac if you're that concerned about her you could just go and talk to her yourself. She's tried grilling me about your real identity on several occasions." Fred revealed.

"Just… tell me her name, Fred." Mac requested.

"I don't understand Mac, you're the one who found her. Are you telling me you didn't her name?" Fred asked.

"I know what they said her name was back then I'm asking what her name is now. I left before she woke up, Frederick. I need to know…" He began but stopped unsure how to explain it any better.

"Alright," Fred told him flipping though the file again. "Stella Wentworth was the name you gave me but when I got to the hospital she was already awake. The name she gave was… Stella Bonasera." Fred confirmed causing Mac's chest to constrict. He got out of his chair and went to stare out the window trying to clear his head.

His greatest fear had been realized. Not only was she one and the same as the little girl he'd saved all those years ago but she was also the woman he'd begun to fall in love with. He hated himself more than ever at that moment.

"I take it you know the young lady then. Not that I'm surprised as she's a police officer as well." He added making Mac turn to look at him.

"You knew about that?" Mac had to ask.

"You've gotten her letters for the last thirty-eight years she never once told you she joined the force?" Fred wondered.

"I haven't gotten a letter in over ten years, Fred. There are lots of things I don't know about her." Mac told him. Fred looked up at him in surprise.

"McKenna, why in heaven's name didn't tell me this sooner? I could have cleared everything up. Do you want me to contact her to make sure it's really her?" Fred exclaimed. Mac shook his head and turned back to the window. "Something's eating at you, Mac. I've seen that look before." Fred said almost the same thing Sid told him earlier.

"What is it with you and Sid today? I don't have a look!" Mac exclaimed in a snippy mood.

"Okay then, you tell me what's going on because I know you well enough to recognize when something's bugging you and don't tell me it's nothing. If Sid thinks something's up then I know you're off your game. Is it Stella? You didn't know she was the same woman and what… fell in love with her?" Fred worked out for himself. "Is that all?" Fred laughed brushing it off as nothing.

"Is that all? How can you sound so blasé about it Fred? I took responsibility for an orphaned minor thirty-eight years ago. What right do I have to betray that trust?" Mac asked belligerently. "She was just a child!" He added weakly.

"Mac you were hardly more than a kid yourself. She's barely twelve years younger than you I don't really see a problem." Fred told him.

"She barely looked five." Mac stated.

"She was very specific when it came to her age, Mac. She was five years and ten months old which makes her exactly twelve years and one month younger than you are. What is so wrong with that?" Fred demanded an response that Mac didn't want to answer.

"My parents couldn't stand the sight of each other, Fred. They fought constantly over every little thing. If that wasn't because of their age difference then it was because of…" Mac stopped himself before he could voice his life long fear.

"Because of you? Mac, it's not your fault. You have to know that all married people argue, some more than most granted but do you honestly think Rebecca and I don't argue?" Fred inquired.

"I don't know. I just… I always thought it was because Dad was so much older than Mom. How could they have had anything in common? If I was the only reason they stayed together then that was a bad reason." Mac admitted.

"Geeze, Mac have you been keeping that to yourself all these years? Yes, I know Boyd and Madeline fought but it wasn't about you and neither was the reason they stayed together. They loved each other very much and they loved you as well. The reason for all the arguments was because your mother wanted to move out of the city. Maddie knew you were happier when you were up at Rose Point. She wanted the three of you to move to Serenity Cottage year round. Boyd thought you should have all the available options the city had to offer." Fred explained. Mac had to sit down at the revelation.

"The reason why I was happier at Rose Point is because they hardly ever argued." Mac confessed putting his head in his hand unable to stifle the sob that escaped his lips. Fred let him regain his composure before he came around the desk and put a hand on his shoulder.

"Listen Kiddo, I know you didn't have it easy and I know you probably feel that you've disappointed your father. I knew Boyd long enough to know that he would be proud of the man you've become. You were given a huge responsibility when your parents died and you took on another one when you saved that little girl. I can see that you like Stella but tell me is it the age difference that's holding you back or the fact that she's the girl you saved all those years ago?" Fred questioned.

"A bit of both I guess. I just…" Mac began but paused trying to put the words into place.

"Alright tell me one thing, age difference aside, would you have entertained the notion of starting a relationship with Stella if she wasn't the girl you saved?" Fred inquired. Mac thought about it for a while but shrugged his shoulders unable to come to an acceptable conclusion. "Is that your head or your heart talking Mac?" Fred wanted to know.

"I already had someone in my life Fred," Mac told him.

"Please tell me you're not talking about Claire, Mac, that was ten years ago. You have to let her go." Fred gave him the same advice Sid and countless others had given him for at least that long.

"I'm too old start a family now. I missed my chance when Claire died. Why would I want to cultivate a new relationship this late in my life? I'm happy with the way things are." Mac determined.

"Then why do you sound so unconvincing? Or is it that you're still trying to persuade yourself?" Fred asked dead on. "Hey look Mac, from where I sit it doesn't seem like you're all that convinced yourself. Who says it's too late for you to start a family? I didn't meet Rebecca until I was in my forties. I had all but given up on finding someone then she walks into my life. We've been happily married for the last forty years though I will admit we've had our ups and downs. That isn't because she's younger than I am. There are differences of opinion in every relationship. Just because we have our arguments one thing does change. I love my wife. I know Rebecca loves me. I'm only telling you this because I care about you, Mac. You have to move on with your life. If Claire loved you as much as I think she did then she would want you to move on with your life as well." Fred told him.

"I don't think I'm ready, Fred. I thought I was but now I'm not sure." Mac confessed.

"I know you've had a long term relationship with Peyton, Mac, but can you seriously tell me you're in love with her?" Fred asked. Mac turned to look at him making the other man chuckle. "It isn't a crime to fall in love just make sure it's with the right woman." He was told. Mac shook his head unwilling to accept what he said.

"I got to head back to the office now, Fred. Thanks for giving me the information I was looking for." Mac drew the visit to a close. Fredrick sighed and nodded his head in disappointment but honored Mac's wishes to drop the subject.

"What do you want to do about Stella?" Fred questioned. Mac frowned and shook his head. "I meant in regards to the provision." He added quickly.

"My wishes haven't changed on the subject." Mac replied holding his hand out to shake the other man's hand. Fred accepted his hand with a firm shake.

"Don't wait so long to get in touch, Mac. Becca would love to have you over for dinner." His father's old partner offered.

"I'll get back to you on that." Mac told the man without committing to anything.

"In Boyd speak that means 'not very likely', you take after your father more than you realize Mac." Fred told him. Mac frowned again unsure whether he should take that as an insult or a compliment. "Taking after a parent isn't always a bad thing. Just don't be the workaholic your father was and you should be fine." Fred assured him. Mac nodded and left the office, saying good-bye to Gwen before making his way back to the lab.

Mac took the longer route back to headquarters, for one thing it gave him an opportunity to clear his mind and for another it was quicker than the more traveled yet direct route. He tried wrapping his head around the idea that Stella Bonasera was actually his Stella. He might actually be pleased by the news if he hadn't also been attracted to her the minute she walked off the elevator.

He didn't want to admit to the fact that he was attracted to her but he could no longer deny it. Especially not after getting eyewitness accounts from three people. Mac took in all the evidence from the case and could only confirm the witness statements. Sid was right, he was a hopeless case.

What was he going to tell Peyton? She deserved to know the truth. If he had been completely honest from the beginning, he never would have entered into a relationship in the first place. He was angry with himself for taking advantage of her interest in him. He knew the familiarity between them would never lead to anything permanent but never bothered to share that with her.

Peyton had to have known that. She knew what she was getting herself into when she pursued a relationship with him. They'd never had more than a professional relationship before he lost Claire. It took four years after his wife died for him to respond to her persistent invitations. He wished now he had just told her no from the start.

He didn't look forward to the conversation he would need to have with her but he was determined to do the right thing. He respected her enough to give her an explanation, even if nothing transpired between him and Stella. He only hoped Peyton could understand. He didn't expect it to be easy of course but he hoped for as little complication as possible.

He arrived at headquarters and made his way to his office from the parking garage; unlike the other day when Flack brought him to work he went straight through the annex. The newer section of police headquarters was closer to the parking deck so it didn't take very long to get up to the correct floor. When he got there he made his way to his office but stopped dead in his tracks. What he saw made his breath catch in his throat, Sid was hugging Stella.

Cutting off the emotional response before it happened Mac prevented himself from entertaining notions of killing yet another man. He could tell by the way Sid was hugging her that it was an innocuous embrace. It did peak his curiosity though as to what the cause was but he was certain Sid would tell him eventually.

Just as he was about to turn to go into his office he caught Sid's eye by chance. Even from that distance he could tell the other man wanted to talk. Mac motioned with his head to his office and he saw Sid nod his head before he went into the room. He took off his coat and tried getting to work but his mind was distracted by other things. One of them being: how he was going to keep his stony façade around Stella when all he wanted to do was kiss her again.

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

P.S. Please let me know if you do or do not like the new format. I'm not generally pleased with it but I have to do it this way for publishing real books. Maybe it's cause I'm dyslexic that I find this format confusing I don't know. I'd love your feedback on this. Is it easier to read? Less confusing? Depended on what you say is how I'll format the rest of the chapter so if you prefer the old way of doing it let me know soon. Well never mind then they wont let me do it here. Ignore me easy enough to do enjoy. TTFN! Vanidot


	12. Chapter 12: So Much More

AN: Sorry to have left everyone hanging for so long but when I went to publish a new chapter I learned that I already had a chapter twleve ready to go so here it is please enjoy. You get a bonus today two chapters for the price of one. Anyway something I wanted to inquire about: how does everyone feel about the way I end my chapters? I try to bring something from the end of the scene into the title of the chapter itself. I don't know if anyone has noticed or not. Please let me know your thoughts on this now that you know in case you hadn't noticed but by all means please don't read the end first unless your like me and have to find out how it ends before you read the middle. ;-) Don't forget to vote! (see next chapter to find out how.)

God Speed! VaniDot

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter Twelve: So Much More

Stella was tired after a long week. They had finally caught the private school killer with the help of an undercover police woman posing as a student. Everything had returned to normal, at least as normal as everything got around a crime lab.

Sid had taken a few days off to go see his family in New Jersey. He was also having some work done on his house while he was away. Stella couldn't say she wasn't disappointed. However the last case had hit pretty close to home for the M.E. so she understood perfectly. She didn't blame him for wanting to spend a few days alone with his wife and daughter.

By the time Sunday rolled around Stella was ready for a day off of her own. After the success of their first double date, Don, Angel, and Sheldon agreed to spend their day off together for another one. It was the most fun she'd had in a long time. They didn't have anything planned except to hit a concert at the park and see where it went from there. She even splurged on buying lunch for everyone at the Boathouse.

It amazed Stella how little she had actually seen of Central Park even though she lived just a stone's throw from it for much of her adult life. She couldn't count the number of times she'd been there at the scene of a crime but that was the first time she'd been just for pleasure. She talked everyone into taking a pedicab tour of the park and though they laughed at first they seemed to enjoy it as much as she did.

Still feeling a bit adventurous after the ride was over she convinced her companions to take one of the many tour buses around town. The one the happened upon took them to see where all the famous people lived. It was one of those red double-decker types and while Don and Angel were content to neck in the back seat, Stella took pictures with the digital camera she had thought to bring. Even Sheldon found entertainment in chatting someone up rather than actually listening to the tour guide.

Though they had already missed the first leg of the trip they were just in time to hear about all the famous people who had lived, currently lived, or sometimes stayed in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. It was nice to be able to shoot photos of something other than a gruesome murder. The second floor of the bus offered perfect views of the architectural details one often missed walking at street level.

Just as they were driving passed a one-way street that so and so lived on, Stella thought she saw Mac Taylor coming out of a town house. She used the zoom feature of her camera to get a better view but still couldn't be sure. She looked around to see if her other travelers noticed but they weren't even looking. She turned back to find the person she thought was Mac only to find he had disappeared.

Almost everyone at the lab swore Mac never took a day off in his life though he had as much right to one as everyone else. She wondered what might have brought him to this side of town but beside a crime scene she couldn't think of anything. He had been carrying a case though it wasn't shiny like their metal investigative cases were. She didn't have much time to think about it though as the tour was drawing to a close and it headed back to the park.

The four of them decided to part ways upon their return. Don and Angel wanted to spend the rest of their day off alone while Sheldon had to report to duty. Even though he wasn't a doctor every now and then he still volunteered with the Central Park Medical Unit. Since he was already there he decided to start his shift a bit early. Stella was left to make her way back to her apartment on her own.

It was getting late but it was still early enough the criminal types who preyed on the park patrons weren't out yet. They were usually nocturnal animals and it was a few hours before sunset. She cut through the park heading west still thinking about Mac and what he was doing in one of the city's most influential neighborhoods. She was so lost in her thoughts that she didn't see then man until she was almost on top of him. He was there!

Stella looked around for a hiding spot and quickly jumped behind the nearest tree. She was certain he hadn't seen her but she stayed there for several minutes until her heart and breathing where once again within her control. What was he doing there? It looked as though he had been helping to set up for a concert but she couldn't figure out why unless he had volunteered to work as security for the event.

Policemen often used their off hours to safeguard such events which helped to supplement their small income. Unlike the shows on television depicted, being a real life policeman –or policewoman for that matter – wasn't a lucrative job. You had to want to be a cop and to help people enough to settle for low wages and little reward.

Despite what Hollywood wanted you to think, a HumV was not dolled out with every detective's badge. Stella drove a pacific blue Kia Sorrento which she had bought herself and Mac drove a navy Chevy Suburban. She knew Sid owned a green Subaru Forester but most everyone either took the subway or drove a government vehicle on assignment. Either that or they bummed a rid with Mac, her, or Flack.

They also were not assigned to every scene of a crime either unless a homicide or decomposing body was involved. It wasn't until a possible suicide is ruled a murder by the medical examiner did they venture forth to process the scene. Most of their work was done in the lab pouring over countless tests and keeping meticulous notes so the chain of evidence wasn't disrupted. None of them especially the detectives handing them a case wanted a judge to be able to throw something out because that chain was broken of the evidence tampered with.

Volunteer work of his own was the only conclusion Stella could come up with as to Mac's presence in the park as he was dressed in casual clothes for a change. He sported a black, short sleeved t-shirt and a pair of relaxed fit jeans though she told herself she wasn't spying as she peeked around the tree to get a look at him. He apparently hadn't seen her as he was still working. It was just a coincidence that they happened to be in the same place at the same time… wasn't it?

Stella slapped mental handcuffs on herself; the charge was spying with suspicion of stalking. She wondered if she could plead insanity though she knew the prosecutor would never convict on a case of being in the wrong place at the wrong time. She also berated herself for feeling guilty when she wasn't hadn't committed a crime. After taking a deep breath she stepped out from behind the tree ready to act surprised to see him only he had disappeared. She shrugged her shoulders but couldn't help feeling a bit disappointed.

She continued her journey but only got as far as the front of the stage. Unlike the concert she'd been to earlier that morning, this one was smaller and dedicated to disabled soldiers and their families. The musicians were warming up and she looked around for Mac thinking he needed help with crowd control. She still didn't see him until, just by chance, she glanced up.

Stella got the shock of her life when she saw Mac on stage playing a bass guitar. She stared at him in disbelief for a few seconds before looking around for means of escape. It was too late however as, when she looked up at him again, he was staring straight at her. He also appeared shocked to see her as he immediately stopped playing and lifted the strap over his shoulders.

He jumped off the stage and headed right for her with determined steps. Her heart fluttered in her chest as she suddenly felt nervous. While they had worked together on the case they hadn't talked about that kiss. She wasn't exactly ready for it now either. He stopped a few feet away and opened his mouth to say something but she beat him to the punch.

"I wasn't spying on you honest!" She exclaimed a little too hastily. He quirked his eye brows at her in that annoyingly attractive way of his but a smile played out over his face.

"Just happen to be in the neighborhood then I guess." He stated with a chuckle.

"Actually I was on my way home." She replied. His eyes widened in response.

"Do you always cut through the park on your way home?" He asked curiously.

"How do you know I was cutting through the park?" She wondered then shook her head what else would she be doing in the park if she was on her way home. "Stupid question sorry, yes I'm cutting through the park. The only way to get to my apartment by taxi this time of day is by the 66th Street Transverse and I live closer to Terrace so I chose to walk. No, I don't make a habit of it." She told him before he could ask. He actually had the audacity to smile at her.

"If you don't mind sticking around 'til after the concert, I'll drive you home." He offered. She looked at him in surprise but nodded her head.

"I can't believe you play," She commented.

"Yeah…." He replied. "I've got to get back, you gonna stay?" He wanted to know.

"Sure, I'm in no hurry." She replied intrigued by the thought of hearing him play. He returned to the stage and joined in the practice session. He was quite excellent. She noticed for the first time how relaxed and calm he looked while playing. He was so different up on stage than he was at work. She didn't think her day could get more enjoyable than that afternoon with her other co-workers.

Even though she didn't know much about the instrument he played he sounded good enough to be a professional. She wondered why he chose to become a criminal investigator instead of being a full time musician. She quite enjoyed his small concert better than she had the better known band that played earlier.

It was dark by the time the music stopped and all the equipment was packed up. Mac introduced her to his fellow musician and found that he played with them on a regular basis. Another unexpected fact about the man, which made her wonder what other surprises he had up his sleeve.

Mac and Stella said their good-byes and he led the way to his car. It wasn't until they reached the black SUV that she realized it was parked in the opposite direction of where she was headed. She looked back the way they had come but it was so dark she wasn't sure which direction was which any more.

"Uhh Mac, I live on the west side. I don't recognize any of the landmarks." She spoke up.

"That's probably because I'm parked in the east section. I said I'd take you home, so come on." He told her opening the door for her. She raised a brow at his apparent show of chivalry. "I've been told I'm a traditionalist." He gave as his plea for the defense. She smiled and shook her head but climbed into the vehicle anyway. He closed the door before heading around to his side and drove off.

Neither of them spoke for several minutes. Mac concentrated on driving while Stella fought for something to say that wouldn't lead to the kiss they shared. It had returned to the forefront of her mind when she found herself in such close quarters to the man.

"I'm hungry!" He startled her with his sudden exclamation. "Are you hungry?" he asked curiously. She looked over at him in surprise and saw him glance at her expectantly.

"I could eat," She determined without analysis.

"Great! Wanna grab a bite?" Mac inquired.

"Are you buying?" She gave into her curiosity.

"Sure if you'll let me go home to shower and change first." He haggled.

"Then it's a deal." She replied. Instead of staying on the main road he turned down a side street heading further east. "I thought you lived out by the lab." She frowned.

"I'm staying with a friend." He explained why he wasn't headed south. Stella shrugged her shoulders and sat back content with his reasoning. She rarely had the opportunity to see that part of town. She had to admit the view was much different from that level than the upper deck of the bus, it was much more agreeable.

Before long they stopped in front of the same brownstone she had seen him come out of earlier, confirming her suspicions. She opened the car door before he put the Suburban into park; it was his turn to quirk an eyebrow. She gave him a smirk as she hopped out of the vehicle onto the curb and closed the door. He wasn't far behind gathering his guitar case out of the back seat and headed up a flight of stairs to the house. When he unlocked the door and pushed it open he gave her an expectant look.

"Thank you, kind sir." She grinned and entered first as he had silently requested. It was nice being treated by a lady for once.

"You're welcome, M'lady." He gave a bow before following her inside and locked the door behind him. There was a small space before another set of doors which led into the rest of the home. Mac went further in and laid his cell phone in a jack on a console table close to the inner door. "Make yourself at home I won't be long." He gestured to the space before disappearing upstairs case in hand.

Stella felt like an intruder but did as she was told noting there was an office just beyond the console and matching mirror to the left of the main hall. On the right almost directly opposite was a formal sitting room she expected to find in such an old house. The parlor, as it had been called up until the twentieth century, was richly decorated in textured upholstery and silken drapes. They didn't look terribly comfortable though the décor spoke of a feminine hand. There didn't appear to be anything else on the first floor except for a pair of closed pocket doors at the end of the hall past the stairs which was directly behind the parlor.

She decided to have a peek before heading up to the second floor in search of the main part of the house. As she slid the doors back into the wall she was elated to find what she had been looking for but was rather unexpected. The living room was everything she imagined Mac would own. There were antiques mixed with modern amenities, scientific apparatus next to sports paraphernalia, and movies on the same shelves as technical manuals.

It wasn't until she remembered that he was staying with a friend that she felt somewhat dismayed. The furnishings and decorations both seemed to fit Mac perfectly but whoever owned the place had good tastes. She knew Sid's house was being renovated but she had to wonder who the friend was as that part of the house seemed completely masculine compared to the front room.

Stella admired the turn of the century fire place which was nestled between matching bookshelves. She ran her hand along the back of a wing back chair imagining being curled up in one of the twin pieces of furniture with a good book. Looking at the little nook, she might never have guess that across the room was a wide screen television surrounded by a large leather couch and matching recliner. Craftsmen era furnishings met more modern traditional furniture in a mix of eclectic comfort but somehow it all seemed to fit rather than feel out of place.

The dining room also spoke of craftsman touches as it was just behind the living room separated by an open arched colonnade with glassed in shelves to either side. The fireplace was mimicked by a similar cabinet that was used to serve food on and house all the essentials for dining. Stella could almost see herself in a twenties style dress in that room and smiled at the image. She peeked around the corner of the archway to spot a kitchen to the right of the dining room but didn't go any further as though expecting to get yelled at.

She retreated to the more modern leather sofa and sat down to wait for Mac. She heard the water go on and knew it would be a few minutes more. Stella tucked her legs up under her and leaned her head back against the plush cushion noticing the coffered ceiling above before her eyes closed involuntarily. She thought she would let them stay closed for only a few seconds but that was the last thing she remembered thinking.

Her next conscious thought was how delicious something smelled and her stomach furiously reminded her she hadn't eaten since lunch. She had to know where that smell was coming from her instincts demanded. The only thing she could do was obey the call to arms so she opened her eyes. She moved her arms to find they had been covered – like the rest of her body – with a quilt. She stifled a yawn as she stretched which alerted the other house guest.

"You get your nap out?" Mac asked, peeking his head around the corner; only this time he was coming from the kitchen. He was drying his hands with a kitchen towel which he slung over his shoulder when he was finished.

"Did I what?" She asked groggily.

"Get your nap out! When I was in the marines, a subordinate of mine used to say that all the time. I think it's southern for: 'did you have a nice nap?'" Mac explained with a chuckle. At that moment he was very much different then than Mac Taylor her boss. She could almost picture him as Mac Taylor the family man with kids running around the house. Stella sat a little straighter at the thought and shook her head to clear her mind.

"In that case yes I did thanks. What time is it? How long did I sleep?" She wondered unfurling her legs which had stiffened up a little.

"Oh not more than an hour tops. It takes twenty minutes for the Chinese place to fix everything and deliver it. I also took longer than I meant to. You want to eat in the dining room or the kitchen?" He inquired.

"Kitchen is fine," She told him. "First thing first though…" She added as he turned away. He cast an inquisitive glance back over his shoulder. "Where's your bathroom?" She had to know. He smiled and pointed towards the hall.

"First door on the left across from the stairs." He instructed then went back into the kitchen. Stella made her way to the room she'd taken for a closet upon her arrival and made use of the facilities. Her internal organs thanked her profusely as she finished up. After washing her hands she dried them on the towel provided for her use then went to join Mac in the kitchen.

The kitchen matched the rest of the homes décor with bead board covered walls plus farmhouse sink though the gas stove along with the refrigerator were new. She was surprised by the fact that there was a gourmet stove and large cooler as Mac didn't seem the type to cook but maybe his friend was a chef. Mac had all the food laid out on a tray and was setting a small round table nestled into a corner of the room.

"Can I help?" She asked causing him to look up at her. He smiled and pointed to some glasses by the refrigerator.

"Grab those and what ever you want to drink. I'll take a ginger ale." He said as he came back to the island for the tray.

While the island was large there was no place to sit down signifying its sole purpose was for prepping and serving the food. Stella hated bars at the kitchen island as well happy to see one without for a change. Another she liked about the kitchen is that it wasn't cluttered with papers and business paraphernalia.

A kitchen in her mind was for cooking and eating nothing else. There was office space a plenty for paying bills and leaving yourself notes in. If that was her place she'd probably be sticking post em's on the hall mirror she thought with a laugh.

Stella got the drinks from the fridge before bringing the requested items to the table. She started to sit down but Mac pulled the chair out for her. Feeling more like a queen than a feminist she gratefully took a seat which he then scooted closer to the table. Mac joined her at the table pouring himself a glass of ginger ale while she did the same. The ginger flavored beverage always complemented Asian food in her mind and was less overshadowing than alcohol.

"Wow! How much did you spend?" She noticed for the first time how much food there actually was.

"I wasn't sure what you liked so I ordered extras. There are always leftovers for lunch." He grinned at her.

"I think you're a glutton for punishment. By the end of the week you'll be so sick of Chinese food you won't be able to stand it… or your co-workers won't be able to stand you." She told him with a placid expression. He gave her that classic Mac look which made her break from her poker face with a laugh.

"Who said I'll be the only one eating leftovers?" He asked with a smirk.

"Hmm we'll all suffer together is what you're thinking right?" She rightly guessed. He chuckled and shook his head.

"Sid's coming back tomorrow so he and the girls will be staying here until the house is finished. With Mary's allergies I didn't think it was good for them to do the repairs themselves." He offered an explanation. Her stomach twisted at the thought of meeting Sid's family.

"What ever happened to going out to eat?" She wondered changing the subject.

"When I came down from upstairs you were sleeping so peacefully I didn't want to wake you. That's when I decided to get something delivered." He responded once he finished chewing his food.

As with everything else, Mac's table manners were impeccable though she did know him to talk with his mouth full on occasion. The thought made her smile when she pictured him as a kid trying to remember his manners. It was hard to imagine Mac as a little kid though but an image of that curly haired youth who'd saved her popped into her head again.

"So… when does Peyton head home?" She posed a question she thought might distract her from her thoughts. Stella had the sudden fear that Peyton might walk in on the innocent scene and think the worst which didn't help her already unraveling nerves.

"Her flight left this afternoon I presume she was on the plane." He dispassionately made known.

"You didn't drive your girlfriend to the airport? Shame on you, Mac. I can't believe your chivalrous side let you get away with that. You'll have to make it up to her the next time she's in town." Stella observed.

"Peyton and I are no longer seeing each other." He admitted.

"What? Why?" Stella asked curiously. "Sorry it's not any place to ask." She quickly withdrew the question.

"No it's alright," He assured her. "We… just realized we were going in opposite directions." He added.

"Is it because she lives in London?" She wanted to know.

"Partly I guess, mainly it was about my wife." Mac revealed unexpectedly.

"She must have been someone special if you still care about her." Stella commented.

"Very special but I didn't deserve her." he replied sadly.

"Mac, you can't blame yourself. Nobody expected such a tragedy to happen, there's no way for you to have known about it either. I might have never met her but I bet you she'd say the same if she was here. I know if I was up in heaven looking down I wouldn't want my loved ones blaming themselves for how I died. I'm certain she would want you to be happy, Mac Taylor." Stella adamantly proclaimed. He looked up at her with a sad smile causing her heart to lurch. Why did that man drive her to distraction? Stella buried her head in chest trying to appear more interested in her food than she actually was. He was also silent for a long time though she dare not look at him to see what he was thinking.

"Sid told me you grew up in St. Basil's," He mentioned the name of the orphanage where she grew up. She frowned thinking it was a strange question but she found no cause to deny the man an answer. Especially not after revealing so much of himself so she sighed and nodded her head.

"My mom died when I was six but I never knew my father. We left Greece when I was two years old and mom never talked about him." She informed him.

"How did she die?" He wanted to know.

"We were driving back to New York City from Montreal but got very lost after having to take a detour. The car either slid off the road on a patch of ice or was hit by someone who didn't stick around to find out the damage they'd done. The local Leo's told me it was likely a hit and run but they weren't certain." She relayed the facts as she knew them.

"You didn't have any family back in Greece?" He questioned.

"Mama's father died in WWII and Grandma died when I was just a baby. As far as I know Mama was an only child and I couldn't find any aunts or uncles when I went back for a visit." She answered the best she could. "What about your parents?" She wondered.

"I guess I'm an orphan as well as my parents died when I was eighteen. I was lucky though as I joined the marines shortly after their funeral. My fellow soldiers became my family though I always had Sid waiting for me at home. Dad's parents died before I was born but Mom's parents didn't die until I was much older. Gramps died from lung cancer the year I turned nine and Gran died when I was twelve. She was the typical eccentric old cat lady, but she went in her sleep like she's always wanted." He explained. "Sheldon told me about your mysterious past did you ever find the answers you were looking for?" He changed the subject. Sid had begged to be the one to tell Mac, though she didn't know why he needed to be notified at all.

"I think I've found most of them." She replied giving away as little as possible. She got up and put her empty plate in the sink feeling a bit too stuffed.

"Just leave those, I'll wash them tomorrow." He told her as he did the same. She helped him put everything away before seeing how late it had gotten when she looked at the clock.

"I should really get home." She spoke up.

"Do you have to?" He asked making her look up at him. "I mean it's late and I have a spare room you could use." Mac offered.

"I think I'll just go." She replied unable to trust herself alone with him any longer.

"Well I did promise to drive you home." He said going to get his keys.

"That's okay Mac I'll just hail a cab." She exclaimed as he tried stifling a yawn.

"It's impossible to find a taxi around here this late at night. If you won't let me drive you then at least take my car." He insisted handing the keys out to her.

"Thanks," She accepted his offer taking the keys from his hand. As his skin brushed against hers she felt a bolt of electricity shoot right through her. She quickly pulled her hand away but she could still feel the warmth of his hand on hers. She turned and started walking towards the door but he grabbed her wrist. He held onto her though not painfully.

"Stay, please Stella." He pleaded softly.

"I can't," She responded in kind. He held her wrist a second longer before letting her arm fall back to her side. She didn't turn to look back at him as she made her way towards the exit. The further away from him she got the more she felt that if she walked out the door nothing would ever happen between them. "See here's the thing," She said stopping and turning to look at him. He'd already turned his back to her but at the sound of her voice he looked back over his shoulder at her. "We've never talked about that kiss so I don't know if it was just me…" She began but never got the chance to finish. In less than four steps he closed the gap and kissed her firmly yet tenderly.

One hand gravitated towards her curls while his other one went to the small of her back and gripped the fabric of her shirt. He pulled her closer answering all of her questions with that one exquisite kiss. She sighed leaning into him wishing the kiss would never end. For a brief moment she gave herself over to the emotions putting her arms around his neck until he pulled away.

"Did that spell it out for you enough?" He asked after catching his breath. She nodded still trying to do the same. "I lied." He confessed.

"About what?" She asked curiously looking into his eyes.

"The conversation I had with Peyton." He admitted. "I told her that I had fallen for someone else." He revealed.

"Who?" She wondered. He gave her that lopsided smile of his and kissed her again.

"Do I have to spell it out for you?" He asked punctuating it with another kiss. "She actually worked it out for herself. I've known it was over since she wrote me a 'Dear Mac' letter several months ago." He explained.

"I think someone forgot to tell her that." She laughed making him frown. "I was down in the morgue looking for Sid when I ran into her. She told me the two of you had been seeing each other for years. I guess she smelled a possible threat to her territory." She answered his unspoken question.

"Is that right?" He inquired.

"Women are sensitive to these kinds of things." She let them in on a little secret.

"So are men." He informed her tightening his grip on her shirt.

"I haven't been with anyone in over five years, Mac. Who do you have to be jealous of?" She asked curiously.

"Flack and Hawkes, every time they get close to you I want to commit murder." He admitted. She couldn't help but laugh but he frowned down at her.

"Don and I dated all of two weeks almost three years ago. As far as Sheldon is concerned…" She began but the furrows on his brow deepened. "Dr. Hawkes has never meant anything more to me than as a brother, Mac." She insisted.

"Does he know that?" He demanded.

"Of course," She laughed, "Beside he's already had several girlfriends since I knew him in college. I don't know if he's seeing anyone at the moment but I think he has his eye on a girl where he volunteers." She assured him. He let go of her before walking away leaving her to watch.

"One last thing, are you sure my being twelve years older than you doesn't bother you?" he wanted to know.

"No more than Flack had my being five years older than him." She proclaimed. There was that frown again. "Don's seeing Jess Angel, Mac, there's no need to be jealous." She told him.

"Is it serious?" He inquired.

"I'd say it's pretty serious seeing how he showed me his mother's ring." She tried to alleviate his misery.

"Why would he show you a ring?" He questioned still doubtful.

"He wanted a woman's opinion, Mac, as a friend nothing more. If my calculations are right he's already popped the question to Angel." She informed him. He sighed in relief which made her smile. He took her in his arms again though she met him half way. He kissed her again more intense than the first to which she got carried away again. Everything was going great until those memories slammed back on her and she pulled away unable to breathe.

"Stella?" Mac asked seeing her in panic mode.

"I'm sorry, I just…" She began unsure how to tell him what she was feeling.

"You're not ready." He told her guessing what her dilemma was.

"I'm so sorry Mac." She apologized.

"Stella I can't imagine what you went through with your former boyfriend but I do understand. I'm not going anywhere. I'll be here when you're ready for a deeper relationship." He assured her giving her one last kiss, much more chaste. "I'd offer to drive you home but if you'll forgive I need a cold shower." He smiled apologetically. Stella smiled and shook her head patting his cheek.

She headed out to the car after promising to leave the keys on his desk in the morning. He stayed at the door watching her until she got in the car and locked the doors. She waved at him then headed back to her apartment thinking of all the ways she could confront her fear of intimacy.

She had seen a counselor after the incident but hadn't continued the therapy sessions. The emotions had been too raw at the time so she had never faced the memories rather buried them deep inside. Now that she had someone she wanted to be with she was willing to try facing them again. It wouldn't be easy but she was no longer willing to let one man's insanity stand in the way of her future. She had something worth fighting for: the love of a good man which promised so much more.


	13. Chapter 13: A Fresh Start

AN: Here's the latest chapter for everyone's perusal. Please let me know what you think. I would also ask that everyone visit my profile page to vote in the poll I've placed there. I would also love to know everyone's opinion on my story, good or bad though good is of course always preferred. I really am having fun with this story and I hope as one reviewer said it shows in my writing. Thanks everyone for reading and for leaving reviews. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I have. I almost feel like an outsider reporting what is going on with real people but then watching every episode of the show while I write probably helps. It's almost like watching an episode of the show unfold for the first time before me. I hate stories that are almost word for word of the episodes but I also hate fan fics that don't at least hint at what's gone on before. I hope I've found a happy medium in there somewhere to carve my niche. Again please enjoy my story and please vote in the poll before it closes. It's nothing political and you don't have to worry about hurting my feelings I'm more interested in your honest opinion which is why I've left three options.

TTFN! VaniDot

P.S. I know some of my readers have said they don't like long stories but as I'm using my fan fiction for practice for the real thing I'm trying for 120 k words all totaled but we'll see where it wants to end on its own as the chapters themselves don't carry on as long as the other stories I've written. The most I've been able to squeeze out is 13 pages so far for one chapter. The others seem to have a natural conclusion of about 7. Please stick with me though as I hope, when we come to the end of the story together, it will be worth it.

Have a nice day! And don't forget to read chapter twelve I published two chapters today.

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter Thirteen: A Fresh Start

Once their last case was solved Mac knew he could no longer put off the inevitable. He had been letting Peyton stay at his apartment while she was in town. He stayed away but now he had to face her. He made up his mind to tell Peyton that it was over for good.

She was the one who broke off their relationship months ago. While he had been hurt by how she left he had also been a little relieved. Yet when she reappeared in his life she had expected to carry on as though she'd never left. When Mac got back to his apartment he was surprised to find Peyton already packing.

"Peyton?" He questioned from the door way making her jump.

"Mac! I didn't expect to see you." She exclaimed looking up at him. "I'm almost done." She told him.

"Don't hurry on my account." He insisted watching her throw things into her bag.

"Look Mac, I'm sorry for the way things ended between us. You deserved better than to get a Dear John letter. I was scared that if I saw you again I'd change my mind." Peyton apologized.

"I understand your reasoning Peyton but you gave me no chance to do anything, to say anything. I missed you." He confessed. She looked up at him with a look of hope in her eyes. She moved towards him as if to hug him but he took a step back unwilling to get attached again. She smiled sadly and returned to her packing.

"Is it Stella?" Peyton wondered.

"What makes you think that?" He inquired curious to know if it was that obvious.

"Come on Mac, I've seen the way you look at her. I'm not blind." She insisted.

"We're just friends," He disputed feeling uncomfortable under her scrutiny.

"But you like her don't you?" She said unwavering from her convictions.

"I think so," He admitted at last.

"She's really nice, I like her." She conceded retrieving her products from the bathroom before returning to dump them into her luggage as well.

"I'm glad, you're not jealous are you?" He asked when she cast a look at him over her shoulder.

"A bit, I guess I'm just sad it wasn't me." She declared pausing for a second then continued packing.

"I never meant to hurt you, Peyton." He expressed his regret for everything he felt responsible for.

"I know. There was never really any room in your heart for me. I was just deluding myself." She mourned. He went to her then and took her in his arms in a comforting embrace.

"That's not true. I would have made room; you just never gave me an opportunity." He told her. She pushed away slightly with a shake of her head.

"That's just it Mac, I think a long time ago your heart was already taken by that little girl you rescued." She revealed shocking him to his very core. He frowned unable to remember ever telling Peyton about Stella.

"Sid told me about her." Peyton put him out of his misery.

"Sid talks too much." He replied.

"Maybe you need to talk about such things more often. I know you like your privacy, Mac, but don't wait too long to tell this Stella how you feel." She advised divulging the fact that she knew everything, including the girl's name. "Wait, is she the same Stella you saved all those years ago?" She figured out for herself. Mac walked away from her feeling betrayed by his own emotions. "She is isn't she? You didn't know that when you fell in love with her did you Mac?" Peyton demanded answers.

"I only found out for certain two days ago." He confided in her still counting her a friend though she'd bruised his ego somewhat. Though he didn't let go of things easily, he wasn't the type to hold a grudge.

"Have you told her yet?" She wondered. He sighed again and shook his head.

"I'm not sure I should," He voiced his uncertainty.

"You have to tell her Mac!" Peyton exclaimed. "Especially if you want her to return your feelings," She persisted.

"What right do I have to expect anything from her? I wanted to let her live an unimpeded life which is exactly why I've stayed away all these years. There's no reason for me to insinuate myself into her life now." He stubbornly maintained.

"You saved her life, Mac! If you hadn't come along when you did she would have died. Why are you so afraid to be with her?" Peyton wanted a response to a question he hadn't been able to answer in years.

"I'm not afraid… I just…" He began but stopped unsure how to express himself. "You didn't see her eyes when she looked at me. They were so…" The words came when he stopped trying so hard to think allowing himself to just feel but faltered again when his mind began to race.

"Vulnerable?" Peyton tried to help.

"Intense," He corrected. "I saw everything in those eyes. It was like seeing all the possibilities of what she could become and yeah it scared me. The only world she'd ever known just suddenly ended that night and I wanted to protect her from the monsters of this world. How am I any different than them if I try to… be with her?" He wanted to know.

"Oh Mac, you mustn't think of yourself that way. You were twelve years old when she was born. That hardly makes you a beast. Nothing makes a woman feel more loved and protected than knowing how much her man cares. I'm sure she loves you and I know how much you love her. I don't see what the problem is." She told him.

"I just don't want to make the same mistake." He admitted.

"What mistake?" She frowned up at him but he just shrugged his shoulders unable offer an explanation.

"Claire, everything about our marriage was erratic. Then there's the two of us. I did you a huge disservice and that's something I can't forgive myself for." He made known at last.

"Mac I don't feel used if that's what you're worried about. Most men wouldn't care less about loving and leaving me and that is one of many reasons why I adore you. I knew I was just a salve for your broken heart but I convinced myself that I could make you fall in love with me. Either way I was willing to have you no matter how you came to me. I admire you too much to hold that against you, Mac Taylor." She assured him.

"I don't deserve the praise but thank you, Peyton." He gratefully accepted.

"Go to her, Mac. Don't let your fear hold you back and please," She began as she laid her hands on his chest just over his heart. "Forgive yourself for whatever wrong doing you perceive you're guilty of. You don't deserve such censure." She pleaded in his defense. He smiled and took her hands in his kissing the backs of each which was the only show of affection he was willing to give.

"Do you want me to drive you to the airport?" He asked curiously changing the subject.

"I think I'd rather just say good-bye here. I get too sentimental at airports and you have that concert tonight don't you?" She inquired.

"I still have a few hours left." He replied. Peyton gave him a half a smile and stood tippy-toed to kiss his cheek.

"Good-bye Mac," She bid him farewell.

"Bye Peyton. I hope you find the right guy for you someday soon." He acknowledges her right to be happy as well. She gave him a real smile and caressed his cheek.

"Go find your Stella, Detective Taylor." She instructed.

"Claire used to call her that," He smiled sadly.

"Smart woman; you were wise to tell her the truth. You know women can get terribly jealous of others threatening our claim. I wonder if she realized that she didn't have seniority over you." Peyton speculated. Mac suddenly got a sick feeling in his stomach making him grimace. "Mac, what's wrong?" She voiced her concern.

"I just remembered what Claire and I argued about the night before… she died." He revealed.

"You fought about Stella," Peyton concluded. "Concerning what exactly?" She asked.

"She wanted me to get in touch with Stella. Claire said it wasn't fair to the little girl for her to loose both her parents and her savior in the same day. She wanted me to answer a few of the letters and ask to meet Stella." Mac recounted the gist of the quarrel from what little he could recall.

"Letters?" Peyton inquired obviously Sid hadn't told her everything.

"Stella wrote me a thank you note when she woke up in the hospital. It was the only thing I requested of her: three letters a year, though sometimes she sent me a lot more than that." He smiled practically knowing every word by heart.

"Claire was right, you know. You should have contacted Stella then but it's not too late. Even I can see how much she means to you. Don't pass up this opportunity. God brought the two of you together and now he's given you a second chance to make things right. You can either choose to act on it or live out your life in fear of the unknown. Yes Mac, fear." She insisted as he was about to object. "I've seen you face down the barrel of a gun in the hands of mad men but when it comes to matters of the heart you back off. Nothing in this life is predictable. In fact that's what was so great about us." She added with a smile. "Your crime isn't that you fell in love, it's that you're letting fear prevent you from acting on it." Peyton encouraged.

"That's the second time I've heard that this week," He smiled sadly.

"What?" she was curious to know.

"Love isn't a crime," He summarized.

"What smart person said that?" She inquired.

"An old friend of my father's." He replied

"Sage advice you better listen to him then," She ordered with a laugh. "You don't have to tell her all at once, Mac, but you do have to tell her the truth." Peyton persisted.

"I will," He said noncommittally.

"Good now get out of here before I do something we'll both regret." She requested.

"Are you going to be okay?" He wanted to know.

"See that's another thing I love about you. I dumped you and you're more concerned about how I feel." She said with tears in her eyes. He reached out for her again but this time she backed away from him. "I'll be alright Mac, now please just go." She begged him. He let his arm fall back to his side and nodded his head.

"You can just leave the keys with the security guard downstairs unless you want to stay here when you're in town." He offered but she shook her head.

"Too many memories." She rejected the proposal with a shake of her head.

"Good-bye Peyton." He bid her farewell for a final time.

"Bye, Mac, and take care of yourself." She gave him a watery smile.

"You too," He returned with a sad smile of his own and made his way from the apartment. While he wanted to honor her wishes he felt guilty for leaving her alone at the same time.

Mac headed down to the ground floor and left instructions with the security guard to see Peyton safely ensconced in a hired car upon her departure. It was the least he could do since she wouldn't let him see her to the airport. He could make sure she was taken there in a reputable limousine service he'd used a few times himself.

He only had an hour and a half left to get to the park where the event was to take place. He still wanted to get home to the brownstone to change and grab his guitar as well as a few other things. It took him a little over half an hour to cross town which gave him forty-five minutes to find a parking spot and help set up. Not a good start to the day as he was playing host to the free outdoor concert in the park.

While he was no longer in the service a friend of his who worked for the USO had asked him if he could recommend a venue for the concert. Mac not only suggested it but also pulled a few strings to snatch a prime location in Central Park. He'd also volunteered to play as well which was heartily accepted. The other musicians at the local club where he played also volunteered when they heard what he was doing and that it was for wounded soldiers and their families.

Though he was in a hurry Mac didn't leave the row houses until he had everything packed into the Suburban. The last thing he grabbed was his guitar case before he closed and locked the door behind him then got into the SUV. Something red caught his eye though he paid it no mind. He'd gotten used to the red tour buses who promoted the city's haunts for famous people. They were an annoyance but necessary to collect revenue for the city.

By the time he finally made it to the park he helped the guys who had already begun to set up. He finished helping them get the equipment unloaded from the van as well as everything plugged in and in working order. Once they were finished he plugged in his base guitar to pluck a few strings which doubled as a microphone test.

The other musicians soon joined him for a practice session using it to fine tune their instruments for the actual performance. Mac played through the first stanza of the theme song from that television show Lindsey was always talking about. The most annoying part was her insistence that he looked exactly like that actor Gary something; star of 'Crime Unit Investigations' or some such nonsense.

He'd done some investigation work of his own and found to his delight the actor wasn't all that dissimilar in character, never mind looks. He would have hated to be compared to an actor who had no moral fiber though it wasn't often that he was mistaken for the man though once or twice he'd been asked for an autograph. The most frustrating thing about having an actor look like him was when people ran up to him yelling 'Lt. Dan!' as if he was supposed to know what it meant. Mac just showed them his badge and threatened to arrest them if they didn't get a life, not really but he'd thought about it a time or two.

He was halfway through the second cord when he happened to look out into the crowd. His breath caught in his throat when he spotted Stella who seemed to be looking around for someone. He motioned for the guys to continue as he took the guitar strap from around his neck and laid the instrument down. He braced himself with his hand on the deck as he jumped down to the ground.

Stella stared at him in disbelief as he made his way towards her. She was so beautiful standing there with her face framed by a halo of hair accentuated by the setting sun. She looked almost like an angel. He also could help but notice that she was wearing one of those layered tops that gave the appearance of more fabric than there actually was.

He couldn't help but admire how nicely the neckline emphasized the curve of her neck which tapered down towards her feminine curves peeking out from the top of her bodice. He felt a surge of jealousy knowing that he wasn't the only male there who noticed. He also noted that she also had on a pair of jeans as he approached her. She seemed fidgety which made him wonder why.

"I wasn't spying honest!" She exclaimed a little too hastily. He smiled a little quirking his eyebrows at her.

"Just happen to be in the neighborhood then I guess." He chuckled.

"Actually I was on my way home." She told him making him look at her in surprise.

"Do you always cut through the park on your way home?" He wanted to know worried about her safety.

"How do you know I was cutting through the park?" She wondered then shook her head. "Stupid question sorry, yes I'm cutting through the park and no, I don't make a habit of it." She hastily added guessing his next question was before he had a chance to ask, as usual. He smiled at that, the quirk of hers was becoming more endearing than annoying.

"I'll drive you home if you don't mind sticking around 'til after the concert." He offered not wanting her to walk all that way by herself. She looked at him in surprise but nodded her head which gave him a sense of relief.

"I can't believe you play," She exclaimed looking as though she'd discovered a wonderful secret.

"Yeah…." He replied. "I've got to get back, you gonna stay?" He hoped she'd say yes.

"Sure, I'm in no hurry." She replied making him feel elated. He gave her one last smile before heading back to the stage just in time to join the next song. The concert went into full swing shortly afterwards so he didn't have time to think about much else. He did notice that Stella appeared to be having as good a time as he was.

After the concert she helped them take everything down then he led the way to where his car was parked. Stella questioned the direction they were headed in but he assured her that everything would work out fine. Once they got to the SUV he held the door open for her which made her look at him questioningly.

"I've been told I'm a traditionalist," He shrugged. She just smiled and shook her head but got in so he could close the door behind her. He climbed into the driver's seat and pulled out into the flow of traffic. He was silent as he drove trying to keep his mind on where he was going. He knew exactly where Stella lived as he'd been the one to pick out the apartment himself. He was suddenly overcome by the fact that he hadn't had anything to eat since before saying good-bye to Peyton.

"Are you hungry?" He inquired glancing over at her. She was staring at him as though he'd already spoken out loud.

"I could eat," She allowed.

"Great wanna grab a bite?" He wanted to know.

"Are you buying?" She questioned.

"Sure, if you'll let me go home to shower and change first." He countered.

"Then you got yourself a deal." Stella granted. He smiled and rolled his eyes at that but turned into the neighborhood which could take him home. "I thought you lived out by the lab." She pointed out.

"I'm staying with a friend." He lied unable to bring himself to tell her the truth just yet.

He was glad it was dark or else she would be able to detect the falsehood right away. It wasn't that he didn't want to tell her everything but his stomach suddenly twisted in a fit of nerves. He hadn't felt that way since he'd asked the first girl he liked out on a date. Maybe he would feel more forthcoming after he fed his fuming appetite.

Stella didn't challenge his declaration but fell silent until they arrived at his brownstone. She had the door of the vehicle open before he even shifted gears. He glanced at her which she returned with a rebellious shrug and hopped out of the Suburban sooner than he had his own door open.

He stepped out, grabbed the guitar case from the backseat before locking the car behind him then headed up the stairs towards the house he'd grown up in. He stuck his key in the lock and pushed it open, looking at her expectantly. He waited for her to enter the house ahead of him not willing to be outdone by feminism. If his parents hadn't insisted on it the Marine Corps certainly drilled manners and respect for women into him.

"Thank you, kind Sir," She bobbed a curtsy as she entered.

"You're welcome, M'lady." He returned with a bow following her inside. He completed his evening ritual and headed for the stairs. "Make yourself at home, I won't be long." He extended an invitation as he disappeared upstairs.

He set the guitar down in the spare bedroom he'd turned into a den and headed for the master suit. It wasn't until several years after his parents' death that he'd finally brought himself to make himself at home in the bedroom reserved for the owner of the house. Things like that didn't seem to matter to him anymore and by the time he'd returned to New York the room had been empty for longer than it had been occupied.

Mac disrobed and threw his dirty laundry into the hamper in his closet glad he had the opportunity to freshen up. It might have been cooler the past week than the season allowed but it was still near the end of August and muggy. He didn't want to think about how sticky he felt or how bad he stunk despite the layers of deodorant he'd used. A blistering summer evening plus hot lights from the stage spelled disaster when trying to impress a girl.

He didn't even think about the inappropriateness of the situation until the warm water cascaded over his head and ran down his naked back. Stella was downstairs. What right did he have to court her before telling her the truth, he couldn't help but wonder. He hurried as fast as he could while is mind raced with questions and doubts.

One part of him was in conflict with another. He had every right to want to impress the girl he liked. He was, after all, still virile and still at the top of his game the one side persisted; the same side that contemplated murder whenever he saw another man look at her. Because you're old enough to know better than to let your emotions get the better of you, the other more sensible side argued. He wanted to slam his head against the tile wall but turned off the water and stepped out of the shower instead.

The Civil War still raged in his mind as he got dressed in a nice pair of slacks and pulled a black T-shirt on over his head. He slipped the same light blue dress shirt he'd worn earlier over his shoulders but left the buttons undone. After getting so hot outside and then taking a warm shower the air conditioning was a bit cold on his still wet back. After both sides agreed he looked nice, taking time away from the conflict to look in the mirror with him, he headed downstairs to join Stella.

When he got downstairs however he was surprised to find her curled up on the couch fast asleep. He figured that she must have had a busy day before bumping into him earlier that evening. The sight of her made him smile and seeing the contented look on her face he could almost believe she was that little girl from so long ago.

He considered carrying her up the stairs but she looked so peaceful that he didn't want to disturb her. He went to the hall closet and took out one of the quilts Sid's wife had made instead to gently drape around Stella. Mary said he needed a more feminine touch around there as he'd given away all of Claire's things after she died. While Mary had good intentions he hadn't wanted her opinion though seeing Stella so at home in his living room made him almost agree.

A house was never so homey as with a woman clanking about. He couldn't almost imagine the things she would pick to add feminine touches to his more masculine décor. Mac shook his head to clear his thoughts disturbed by the path they had taken and made his way towards the office.

If they couldn't go out to eat then the least he could do was bring the meal to them. He looked through the menus in one of the top drawers of his desk where he kept them as he didn't like papers cluttering up the kitchen. The only thing that caught his fancy was the little Chinese eatery down the block. He placed his order getting more than usual because he didn't know what Stella would like.

Firecracker Beef, Beef with asparagus, Rice noodle, Spring rolls, and wonton soup were among his favorites. He also ordered General Tso and black peppered chicken as well as something from the diet menu. Bella would eat the steamed chicken with broccoli when she returned if Stella didn't. After paying for the meal over the phone, including an extra generous tip, he headed back to the kitchen.

He couldn't help thinking about Stella asleep in the other room as he went about setting the table and getting things ready for the meal. He could almost hear the sound of children's laughter coming from upstairs though he knew it was just imaginary. He felt free to dream about starting a family for the first time in a long time… if only briefly.

He didn't want to start off his relationship with Stella on the wrong foot however so he told himself to go slowly. He knew that he could easily get carried away where she was concerned. Lost in his musings he was startled by the sound of the door bell.

When he went to answer the door he was surprised to discover his guest was still sound asleep. He didn't want to wake her just yet so he left her there and answered the door as quietly as he could. He signed for the order, put the receipt in the office after locking the door once the deliverer left, and took the food back to the kitchen.

Just as he was finishing up he heard noises coming from the living room. He had to take a deep breath to still his wildly beating heart. After willing himself calm he took a step towards what he hoped would be to a fresh start, maybe for the both of them.


	14. Chapter 14: Guardian Angel

AN: Wow, this chapter turned out completely unexpected… and long. The next several chapters are going to be hard to write and even more difficult to read individually as they'll be very tense. I don't want to leave you guys with too many cliff hanger endings but consider this chapter the calm before the storm. I'll leave off posting until I have two chapters written so you won't have to stress too much just make sure you check to see if you've read the chapter previous. It won't make much sense from here on out if you only read the last chapter that's posted. Be sure to read fifteen and sixteen etcetera.

Hope you enjoy. VaniDot

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter Fourteen: Guardian Angel

Stella stretched lazily in bed before her eyes even had a chance to open. She laughed remembering what Mac had asked her the night before. Apparently she had gotten her nap out as when her eyes eventually drifted open it wasn't even daylight yet. She groaned looking for the clock only to find that it would be a few more hours before it was time to go to work.

An idea popped into her head and she jumped out of bed to carry through with it. She quickly took a shower as she had just fallen into bed the night before. After she was out she got dressed and ready for work though she had numerous things she wanted to do before her shift started. Stella headed straight for her favorite bakery to order several dozen croissants before heading back to the brownstone where Mac was staying.

She knocked on the door a few times before remembering that she had his keys. Finding the right one was a bit of a challenge but she eventually let herself inside. Not wanting to disturb him Stella tiptoed passed the stairs. She made her way towards the kitchen then set about hunting for the coffee supplies which was harder than she'd hoped.

"I knew it couldn't be Sid or I would have been woken up by the smell of coffee instead of the racket you're making." The sound of Mac's voice made her jump.

"Don't sneak up on me like that," She yelped turning to find him standing in the doorway rubbing the sleep out of one eye while glaring at her with the other. She noticed how good he looked despite having just woken up. He was dressed in a pair of jersey sweat pants and a black t-shirt but his feet were bare.

"I'm not the one sneaking around." He argued followed by a yawn. "So to what do I own the pleasure for being woken up at five o'clock in the morning?" He wanted to know.

"I brought breakfast." She beamed at him but his frown merely deepened. It would almost be comical if she wasn't on the receiving end. "I was trying to make coffee but I can't find the supplies." She pouted. He merely stared at her for several seconds before shaking his head and headed straight for the one cabinet she hadn't searched.

He slide aside a pocket door countertop level and pulled the coffee pot forward on the counter. She drooled over the BUNN coffee maker she'd wanted to buy for a while but couldn't justify the expense. It was top of the line that included a thermos to keep the coffee warm.

She sighed as she watched him make the coffee before turning her attention to getting everything else ready. She retrieved the plates from the cabinet but couldn't find the mugs. Unable to remember which cabinet held what she started opening and closing doors again.

"Now what are you looking for?" Mac asked with a frustrated sigh.

"The cups for the coffee." She replied peering into yet another cabinet until she heard the familiar sound of ceramic clinking against stone. She turned to look at Mac who had set two mugs on the bar. "Let me guess over there where the coffee pot was hiding?" She flashed him an apologetic smile. "You know I never pegged you for the type." She commented grabbing the half and half from the fridge after setting the other items she'd purchased on the tray.

"What type would that be?" He asked with another sigh.

"The 'grumpy first thing in the morning' type." She told him making sure she had all the components she needed. When she looked up at him he was staring at her again with a dumbfounded expression. He glanced at his wrist where his watch should have been and sighed again. He looked over at the microwave since the time couldn't be found on his wrist.

"I normally wake up at six every morning to go for my run before getting ready for work. It's not even five thirty yet. Who wouldn't be a little grumpy?" He questioned stifling another yawn.

"I thought it would take longer to get here and I didn't expect the coffee supplies to be concealed in the wall." She defended her self. He didn't have a rebuttal to that but just stared at her for several seconds as though she was merely a sleep induced mirage.

"What's for breakfast?" He asked at last.

"Croissant from my favorite little pastry shop and fresh mascarpone cheese. I have lemon curd, black cherry, and chocolate to go with it. Which would you prefer?" She inquired.

"It's too early for sweet stuff," He objected with a shake of his head. She spread a little of the cheese/black cherry concoction she'd already mixed up on the end piece of a croissant.

"The black cherry isn't as sweet as the other ones, here try some." She handed the piece out for him to take a bite. He looked at it doubtfully before he finally accepted her offering.

"Not bad." He admitted with an appreciative nod. "Actually tastes like Bing cherries." He added before turning to grab the coffee which had finished dripping.

"Sid told me you didn't have exotic tastes when it came to fruit. He said pear, apple, black plums, and sweet cherries are the only ones you eat besides the occasional banana." She repeated what Sid had told her. Before the hypothermia incident Stella had called Sid to ask what foods Mac liked.

"Banana masks the vitamin taste in protein shakes." He pointed out bringing the coffee pot and cups to the table while she brought the tray of food.

After taking a seat Stella mixed up a bit more of the fruit concoction then spread some on a croissant she'd sliced in half. The other pastry she spread with a little plain cheese before giving the plate to Mac as he placed a steaming hot cup of coffee beside her. He poured himself a cup and took a bite of the plain croissant.

He munched on the morsel appearing thoughtful and watched as she mixed a little lemon curd with hers for one and some chocolate for the other. She was aware that he was watching her but it wasn't until she swiped the knife clean then licked her fingers that she actually took the time to look at him. Her heart did a little flip and she realized that she could get very used to this.

"I'll have to keep that in mind," She replied trying to appear nonchalant though her mind scrambled to remember what he'd said. She bit into her chocolate covered pastry and sighed happily as she let the heavenly taste consume her.

She got that feeling again, the same one she'd felt for the last several weeks as though someone was watching her. Once she looked up she found Mac watching her again. It didn't take much to put two and two together, although he was never in sight when she looked around for her constant shadow at the office. She had to admit though she had snuck a few unnoticed peeks at him a time or two as well.

"What?" She asked in her defense when his gaze became too intense. She thought perhaps she had something on her face this time.

"Nothing I was just wondering what I did to deserve breakfast." He voiced what he was thinking. He appeared to be in a more relaxed state after ingesting some much needed coffee. Maybe he was the 'don't talk to me until I've had my coffee' type, she mused.

"I just thought it would be a nice way to pay you back for dinner last night." She smiled at him. He returned her smile with that half lopsided grin of his which it made her heart flutter wildly in her chest.

"I'm glad you're here Stella." He spoke again after some time had passed. They both had slipped into a comfortable silence as they ate.

"So am I," She replied feeling a bit more relaxed herself. Oh she could definitely get used to this! "So when is Sid coming home?" She inquired wanting to move her mind in a direction other than where it was already headed.

"They'll be back later today. The repairs on the house aren't done yet so Mary, Bella, and Sid will be staying here with me until it's done. The girls have allergies and neither Sid nor I wanted them around all that construction dust.

"How long will your friend be out of town?" She asked with a frown wondering if the homeowner would be okay with the extra guests. Mac would have thought to ask permission though she was certain.

"Actually that was something I wanted to talk to you about Stella." He mentioned taking his plate to the sink and washing his hands before returning to the table.

"Oh? What does that have to do with me?" She wondered curiously beginning to clear the table after doing the same.

"I know about the trust fund," He started pausing to take a sip of coffee. "I wanted to tell you about everything last night except…" He went on but the phone rang startling them both. He chuckled and shook his head before stood apologetically then went to answer the telephone. Stella finished putting things back into the packages so she could take the leftovers to the office to share with everyone else.

The call of nature commanded her attention and she went to the hall bathroom only to find the roll of toilet paper empty. She grabbed the roll and peeked into Mac's office showing him what she needed but he just pointed to the ceiling giving her permission to use the bathroom upstairs. She made her way to the second floor and finished her business then decided to do a little investigation while she had a temporary license for being up there.

The bathroom was directly across from the stairs with two rooms on either side of it. There was another bedroom down a small landing next to the stairs to the right and it looked as though there was another bedroom behind the room to the left of the stairs. Like in most old homes the rooms where connected or at least had been at one time.

She had a peak at the two separate room first, one of which she was surprised to find was the master bedroom. It occupied the entire back side of the house looking down into a little courtyard area. Another surprising detail was the fact that the master had its own en-suit. Since the bathroom was much newer than the rest of the home's details she had to assume it was an addition. The plumbing was relatively new but it maintained the look of the period.

After getting a look at the other room which was pretty non descript except for the feminine touched. A beautiful quilt decorated the bed and the floral curtains matched which caused Stella to wonder if it was Mary's doing as the quilt and drapes matched. If Mac knew the home owner than it only made since that Sid would know him as well she reasoned.

The other two rooms were not at all what she was expecting. The first room was like the living room downstairs very masculine in appearance with a small TV on one wall and a couch opposite. Mac's guitar case leaned against the wall while the guitar itself rested against a stand near other music paraphernalia. Stella surmised that was a den of some sort.

The back room as it turned out was actually in the front of the house looking down into the street outside. The layout of the second floor threw her a little as it was completely backwards from the one below. She shrugged it off though as she perused the items in the room. It seemed to be a boy's room as though trapped in time; nothing had been touched since the early seventies by the look of it.

There were awards and medals scattered about on shelves as well as pictures on both the walls and solid surfaces. One stood out from the rest as it was the same photo of Mac in his uniform as the one he kept in his office at. Stella had to take a minute to process what she was seeing because all the medals and trophies had his name on them.

"That's what I was trying to tell you before the phone rang. I didn't mean to lie to you last night Stella it just sort of slipped out and I got too nervous to correct it. This house doesn't belong to a friend of mine. It's been in my family for over a hundred year and now it belongs to me." Mac revealed a startling bombshell. He had snuck up behind her again with that cat like tread they taught in the military.

"If this is your house then what's with the apartment?" She had to ask.

"Proximity, some days I stay at work so late that driving to the apartment is easier than making my way back here. I also have a rule about inviting women over. I can always seek refuge here if I need to get away." He replied. She couldn't argue with that as she had done the same thing. It wasn't until after the incident with her ex that she had moved back to the apartment provided by her benefactor permanently.

"Who was on the phone?" She asked moving away from Mac as he was suddenly a little too close for comfort.

"A friend of mine, a real one this time, wanting to know if I could escort his niece to the ball tonight." He answered making her look up at him in surprise. "The Governor's Island Celebration this evening. You are going aren't you?" He inquired.

"Oh right, yes I'm going." She answered picking up a photo of a couple and a small boy as they stood in front of a beautiful home almost as old as the brownstone.

"That's me and my parents at our country estate in Maine." He explained who the people were. "It's the only one that wasn't taken by a professional photographer. Our butler at the time took it the day we arrived. That was the year I got a camera of my own. I was tired of not having any family photos that weren't posed for. I may have an album around here somewhere." He said looking around the room. "Mom apparently valued them though she was always complaining about it when I tried to take pictures of her. I never knew she'd kept all of them until I found the album when I was going through their things after the funeral." He revealed a side of himself she didn't know.

"Your hair is curly," She observed placing her hand on his shoulder in sympathy knowing from Sid that Mac's parents died the same day she was rescued.

"I got used to wearing it short in the marines but believe it or not I used to have very long curly hair when I was a teenager. I wanted to be in a band for all of six months before my father pulled the plug on it. I did learn how to play the bass though so it was worth it." He told her.

"You learned how to play the guitar in six months? Doesn't it take years to learn an instrument?" She asked in disbelief.

"I was always a quick study." He shrugged. Stella took a few minutes to process that information as well though if the scholastic achievements were any proof Mac was on the genius level.

"So you're not just another pretty face around the office then." She commented getting a laugh out of Mac.

"Okay so you got me. Just don't let it get around," He replied.

"Adam already thinks you're omniscient and omnipresent." Stella teased making him roll his eyes.

"Adam's a smart kid but he allows his flights of fancy to get the better of him sometimes." Mac grumbled.

"Well you do seem to know where to be and who to talk to when we have information. Not to mention the fact that you're one step ahead of the class when it comes to figuring things out." She flashed him a smile before picking up the next picture on the dresser. She heard his breath catch a little in his throat. She looked up at him and saw the sadness in his eyes which confirmed her suspicions. "Claire?" Stella asked. He nodded his head and took the picture from her staring at it in a mix of disbelief and sorrow.

"I thought I had gotten rid of all of her things." Mac explained. She rested her head on his shoulder and just stood beside him. "Sid must have…" He began but cut himself off short.

"Sid's a good friend." Stella observed. Mac put the photo back down where she'd gotten it from and squeezed the hand she placed on his shoulder.

"I guess he thought I might change my mind someday." He said softly still staring at the photo.

"I can't imagine what it's like loosing a spouse but I would give anything to have just one picture of my mother." She told him making him look up at her in surprise.

"They didn't give you any of your things after the accident?" He asked curiously. She shook her head unable to answer.

"Are you going with her?" She asked moving away from him. "Your friend's niece," She reminded him when he looked at her in confusion.

"I told him I was accompanying someone else to the shindig." He chuckled.

"First it's getting my nap out and now you're using words like Shindig. I think you've been spending too much time around that southern subordinate of yours." She commented instantly regretting it when she saw the look that crossed his face.

"Kenny was killed by Islamic terrorists when my unit was taken hostage. We'd gotten some bad intel and walked right into a trap. None of us knew what had hit us until we woke up in prison cells." He explained the reason for his sadness. She nodded in understanding but allowed him to continue in his own time. "He was killed right in front of me and there was nothing I could do to save him." Mac relived that moment in time which was etched indelibly into his mind. Stella knew how traumatic such experiences could be and was glad that he'd chosen to share that with her.

"I'm sorry, Mac." She acknowledge his pain and didn't try to offer any words of sympathy as she was sure he'd heard them all before. Mac just nodded his head while she walked away to look at more of the room. "So who was that other person you were going to invite to the ball." She asked hoping to get his mind off the pain.

"I was hoping you'd agree to go with me… if you don't already have a date that is." He asked after a while.

"Actually I was hoping you would ask me but seeing as how the party's tonight…" She began to tease him but, opening something she thought was a picture album, took her by surprise. Her picture was staring back at her, not a photo of herself but the picture she had drawn that fateful night.

"You found it," He said from her side.

"Why do you have this?" She had to ask.

"That's my most precious possession why wouldn't I have it?" He asked curiously. She looked up at him and saw the truth in his eyes. Those same expressive blue eyes from that night all those years ago stared down at her much like they had before.

He was at the hospital that night. It suddenly all began to make sense, the things he'd said about his country house in Maine, her belongings, and the accident. Mac Taylor was the young man who'd pulled her from the wreckage, her savior.

"I usually keep them in the office or in my room. I forgot I left those in here." He spoke though his voice seemed far away at the moment. She nodded absently and turned to the next page and then the next. Her words in someone else's hand, all the letters she sent the first year she spent in recovery.

"Why do you have these? Did Sid loan them to you?" She wanted to know closing the book. She picked it up and looked on the spine and read the label: Stella Wentworth age five.

"Why would Sid loan them to me? He can come and look at them whenever he wants to though in a way I guess they belong to him as much as they do to me." Mac said confusing her.

"Why would Sid…? Maybe because he's my benefactor. He said he was going to talk to you but I guess with everything that's happened he forgot." Stella declared. "They belong to him." She insisted.

"Sid told me you were pretty upset and the plan was for us to talk to you together but I can see now that was the wrong thing to do." He told her reaching to put his hands on her shoulders but she backed away from him. "Stella please just come sit down so we can talk about this. This isn't how I wanted to tell you." He pleaded.

"Tell me what? That you and Sid have been lying to me all this time?" She exclaimed coming to a sudden realization that she didn't like.

"Are you two the ones who stole my letters? Is that how you know so much about me? Was this all just a game to you?" She exclaimed fighting back the tears that threatened though it made her heart, her throat, and her stomach sick. He looked at her with a frown and shook his head.

"No, that's not it. I was going to tell you but then that case came up. Stella, I'm your benefactor not Sidney Hammerback. Sid's just a former servant who worked for my family he doesn't have access to those kinds of funds. Except for the provision I've given for him of course." Mac said sounding heartless and insensitive to her ears. She looked up at him to find he was not at all the man she'd expected.

"About tonight's party, I just remembered I did make plans with Sheldon." She declared backing towards to door. She couldn't think and she felt as if the whole world was closing in on her; she had to get out of that house. He made a grab for her but she pulled her sidearm on him. "I shot my ex-boyfriend Mac, don't think I'll hesitate to shoot you." She told him.

"Stella, please you've got the all wrong. I just want to talk please let me explain." He pleaded with her.

"You've had thirty-eight years to explain and you didn't well guess what I don't want to listen." She yelled at him. "Don't come after me." She cried bolting from the room.

"Stella wait!" Mac called after her but she didn't stop running until she was out on the street and then only long enough to put her gun away. She looked in both directions trying to decide which way to head. She was scared, angry, and hurt by Mac's sudden revelation but she had to get out of there.

She picked a course of action and ran not caring where she would end up. If she never saw Mac Taylor or Sid Hammerback ever again she would be all too happy. Pain and confusion drove her further on and she didn't stop until she just couldn't run anymore. Surprisingly she found herself in Central Park and even more surprisingly Mac hadn't followed.

That thought made part of her sad but she berated herself for even listening. What was she thinking falling for someone like that? He'd lied to her about everything! It made her wonder if last night had been a lie as well. How could he do that to her? How dare he make her fall in love with him then throw something like that at her.

He psychiatrist told her she had abandonment issues. Of course she had abandonment issues first her mother dies and leaves her all alone in a cruel world. Then her guardian angel saves her life and leaves her behind as well. How much could one person take? For all she knew Mac had driven Uncle Eddie's car off the road himself only to play hero afterwards.

Stella sat on a park bench until she'd gotten her breath back. She held back the flood that threatened to overtake her. She let her anger feed her pain which helped to keep the tears at bay but she knew she had to talk to someone. Everywhere she thought about going was a place that Mac also knew about. Was there no place in the city that she might go where he couldn't find her?

She got up and walked a few blocks north then headed back towards the street just in case Mac had decided to follow her after all. She hailed a cab and gave the driver an address, one she knew by heart. The least likely place she could think of was back to the one place she'd never wanted to return; St. Basil's orphanage.

It wasn't that she had been mistreated there but while most of her memories were good they were mostly sad. Questions about her existence returned the closer she got to the orphanage; those same questions that had plagued her all those years ago, the same ones that drove her from those doors to begin with. Who was she and why was she put on earth if no one wanted her? Was it because heaven didn't want her either?

Stella's anger quickly dissolved into unbidden tears that cascaded down her cheeks. Even before the cab pulled out front of the church grounds she caught sight of an unmistakable figure waiting for her on the stairs. She took money out of her wallet and threw it into the front seat before jumping out of the car practically before the wheels ceased to move.

She ran up the stairs towards the closest thing to a father figure she'd ever known but stopped a few feet from him. He gave her a bitter sweet smile and opened his arms out to her. At that she burst into tears and hurled herself into that awaiting embrace.

"Stella mou," Father Papakota greeted in a comforting tone. She merely clung to him though she was aware of a presence behind her.

"Uh, she gonna be okay mister? I mean father sir," A man said hesitantly making her jump.

"Yes, she'll be fine she's just distraught. What can I do for you?" the priest asked in the heavy Greek accent she had come to love.

"She paid too much for the fare." The man explained. She felt Father Costa Papakota extend his arm to accept the funds then made the sign of the cross.

"Bless you my son," Papakota told him. "Come, Stella, come inside and tell me everything." He added in Greek after the cab driver left.

He led the way into the church and didn't stop until he sat her down in a chair in his study. All the familiar smells greeted her feeding the heartbreak she felt even more. The old priest was both in charge of the church as well as the orphanage.

The study had been a refuge for her and she realized now how much she had missed not only the comforting smells but the presence of it's occupant as well. She cried her heart out while Father Papakota wasn't in the room. By the time he returned she had calmed down so she could take the cup of coffee he offered.

"Have you calmed down enough to tell me who broke your heart this time, Young Lady?" He asked.

"What makes you think my heart is broken?" She sniffed.

"Because you have never come to me unless someone hurt you. Now tell me who it is." He said knowingly, but she shook her head. "Stella mou," He urged knowing she could never win against him.

"My boss, Mac Taylor. He let me fall in love with him and he knew. All this time he knew." She broke down into tears again.

"Knew what?" he pressed her to continue patiently waiting for her to calm down once more.

"He knew that he was my benefactor and he never said." She cried spilling the whole long sad tale. He waited for her to finish the story never once interrupting or casting judgment. She just told him everything she knew then it was her turn to wait.

"This Sidney fellow said he needed to tell your Mac something?" he questioned at last.

"He's not my Mac!" She exclaimed feeling betrayed by both of her co-workers.

"This Mac he tried to tell you the truth yes?" Papakota wondered. She frowned up at him but he gave her that same steady gaze he always did.

"Yeah but he didn't go about it very well." She pouted. Father Costa gave her another look that made her glance down feeling guilty.

"You did not give him a chance to finish no?" He charged. She looked up at him about to object but he gave her that look again. She shook her head unable to bring herself to answer. "I know you have been searching for answers your whole life. So tell me why you run away before you ask your questions. I know you are scared Stella mou, but talking with these men is the only way to find the knowledge you seek." He told her what she already knew.

"I'm not scared." She insisted with one last attempt at petulance.

"Then why did you run away?" He asked curiously.

"I don't know anymore. It seemed like a good idea at the time." She said sheepishly.

"Because you fell in love with him?" He dug a little deeper for information.

"How…?" She began but remembered her confession from earlier. "Yes… no…. maybe I don't know." She faltered.

"Would this man be so hard to love if he was not your benefactor?" Father Papakota wanted to know. The question was a simple one but the answer was a bit more complicated.

"I just didn't expect my benefactor to be so…" She began searching for the right word.

"Rich, handsome, available… he is available is he not?" Her confidant worried that she had fallen in with a married man.

"Yes he's available and the word I was looking for is young." She replied relieving him of his concern.

"So what did you imagine in that pretty head of yours this benefactor would look like?" He questioned.

"You if you must know." She confided making him laugh.

"I was a father to all my children here but you were the most memorable one Stella mou and I think the luckiest." He added making her frown up at him. "It's true." He nodded.

"I don't feel lucky," She insisted.

"Ah but you are. How many of the girls who weren't adopted are still around eh? I can count them on one hand and not one of those girls went to school to make something of themselves. You were always looked after Stella and I don't mean by this man of yours. You have an angel out there protecting you and maybe even leading you where you need to be. It brought you here to me and I think it might have brought you and your other guardian angel together after all this time. He called me you know. I have not heard from that man since Sister Eunice went into the nursing home but I hear from him this morning. I wasn't quite awake yet." He chuckled.

"He knows I'm here?" She asked in panic thinking he was going to jump out from behind a curtain at any moment.

"Don't worry Stella mou. I tell him I haven't seen you – in years by the way," He added on a side note giving her that glare that still made her cringe even though she was a grown woman and had a gun on her hip. "And that this would be the last place you would go. He is not a very smart man as I might have hinted that you would come to me first." Papakota admitted that he'd mislead Mac on purpose.

"You told a lie?" She asked curiously imagining the look on Mac's when he realized he'd been had by a priest. Costa crossed himself and kissed the necklace he wore around his neck in penitence.

"For you always but don't tell my priest that." He winked at her. She laughed for the first time feeling a bit better.

"I'm glad I came to you." She told him.

"So am I though I suspected you might after he told me what happened. Did you really pull your gun on him?" He asked making her blush. Just how much had Mac told Papa Costa? That was what she accidentally called him when she first stepped through the church doors. She had mixed up his first and last names as they sounded similar. She smiled at the happy memory of the man who had become a surrogate parent.

"Yes I did though I won't have my badge or my sidearm much longer if he reports the incident." She said though she would have no one to blame but her own stupidity.

"Do you want my opinion Stella mou?" He asked making her glance in his direction. "I think he feels just as scared as you. Do you know his mother was a supporter of this church? She donated a lot of money to keep this place from falling down around us. She gave lots of children warm cloths and put food on the table when we had nothing. She was a good woman and I think maybe she taught her son right. After all he gave you to me." He gave her a watery smile. She set her nearly forgotten cup of coffee down and hugged him. "Stella I am too old and too unwise in the ways of the world to understand much but I do know goodness when I hear it even if it is in a voice on the phone. This Mac of yours is a good man I do not think he meant to hurt you. He was just trying to do the right thing which got muddled up somewhere along the way." He advised.

"Do you think it's wrong for me to fall in love with a man who's taken care of me all my life?" She sought his counsel.

"I think he merely provided the means for others to care for you Stella. I think God has brought the two of you together now because he knew it was not the right time back then. Just as he also knew I needed a ray of sunshine in my dark world." He confessed getting a little choked up. She laid her head on his shoulder and put her hand on his shoulder for support. "I was thinking of giving up the cowl when you walked into my life full of smiles and curly hair. How could I say no to that? I've lost count of all the times I've said 'God bless you my child' but I can count the number of times I've been blessed. Every time you called me Papa Costa I thanked God for bringing you into my life and renewing my faith in his goodness." He told her.

"I'm sorry Papa Costa for staying away so long." She apologized. He nodded his head and just sniffed trying hard not to let it show how choked up he was. In his roll as headmaster of the orphanage it was his job to teach the kids but she was the only one to whom he'd taught Greek. He was not only her priest and confidant he was also the father she had never known. It really had been too long.

"So, tell me all about this man of yours before you have to leave me again." He told her patting her hand.

"I forgot the croissants." She exclaimed remembering about the food she'd intended to take to her co-workers.

She did as she was told and caught him up on everything that had happened to her in the years since she'd been away. He was right, the only times she had returned was when her heart hurt. She might not have complained to her benefactor but she had railed against her professors and instructors to Papa Costa.

She didn't want to go to work even though she knew she should. She would just put in for one of her sick days since she couldn't bring herself to speak to anyone at the office. She would go to the party tonight because she knew it would be expected of her but she didn't know how to face Mac after she'd run off on him.

Now that she'd had time to think it really seemed rather an imprudent thing to do. At the time all she could think about was getting away. She shook her head at her own foolishness unable to justify what she had done even to herself. If she was Mac Taylor she would fire her in a heartbeat.

Stella couldn't help but wonder at her own actions. Just when she was seconds from learning the truth she had panicked. It wasn't at all like how she imagined and in fact she had liked it better when she thought Sid was her benefactor.

The real question she wanted answers to was; who exactly was Mac Taylor and why he was there that night. What was he doing on a back road in Maine? If he was that rich then why did he even stop at the scene of an accident? Of all the people he could have helped why her? If he really did care for her then why hadn't he gotten in touch with her before?

Papa Costa's words tumbled in her head over and over like watching clothes spin around in a laundry mat dryer. Did she really have someone up there in heaven looking out for her? If heaven cared that much to protect her all those years ago then could she have the faith to believe that someone here on earth could care that much as well? Having Mac Taylor as her earthly guardian angel might not be such a bad thing after all.


	15. Chapter 15: One Night Only

AN: Okay here's the next installment. Didn't turn out exactly how I imagined it would but hopefully soon. I also hope you enjoy and please don't forget to read both chapters 15 and 16.

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter Fifteen: For One Night Only

Mac couldn't believe that Stella had pulled her gun on him; he didn't want to believe. Part of him wanted to report her just to punish her for hurting him but the other part defended her actions. He had been an idiot for not telling her the truth sooner. What she did was proof that she had felt his abandonment all too keenly.

He had convinced himself that staying away was for her benefit. Maybe he had been just too scared to face the possibilities. The prospect was never exactly defined but it had frightened him nonetheless. Claire had always had a weakness for love stories and around Valentine's day every year she would read them, sometimes out loud.

Her favorites were true life tales; one in particular had stood out to him from the rest. The story told of a young man who knew the woman he'd marry the minute he saw her; he was seven and she was a little girl of four. They didn't see each other again until twenty years later but they did eventually get married. It had seemed a little far fetched at the time but that story had left an impression on him.

Another thing that had left a mark on him was Peyton's suggestion that his heart had been lost thirty-eight years ago. Had he really fallen in love with Stella the minute he looked into those incredible green eyes of her? That also seemed a little improbable but he couldn't deny that he'd felt something.

Perhaps that's why he had stayed away from her for so long. He knew what everyone else had told him but in all honesty what right did an eighteen year old have in falling for a five year old? While he did believe there was a god he hadn't been to church since Claire died. He was a scientist so concepts such as destiny had no place in the lab thus it was hard to believe that fate had reunited him and Stella after all these years.

He could only question the choices he had made regarding Stella. Had he been right in sending her to an orphanage to be looked after? His father had plenty of rich friends; Mac could have asked Fred to find someone to adopt her.

He tried to think about where Stella might go since she was sure to be long gone by now. She wouldn't likely go to the office and he didn't think she would seek out Sheldon or Don either. He knew she would avoid her apartment as that would be the first place he might look for her.

He suspected she didn't want to be found just yet. There was only one place he could think of that she might turn to in a situation like that; St. Basil's. He picked up the phone and dialed the number he knew so well though he hadn't been in contact since Sister Eunice went into the nursing home. Mac waited for what seemed like forever as the phone continued to ring.

He was about to hang up when he finally heard a click. Instead of a voice he heard a loud thud followed by an ear piercing electronic squeal as the phone took an exception to being dropped. When Mac returned the phone to his ear he caught the sound of Greek expletives before a groggy voice picked up the phone.

"Father Papakota," a man with a heavy accent answered.

"Sorry to wake you so early Father," Mac apologized glancing at the clock on his desk. "I don't know if you remember me. This is Mac Taylor, Madeline and Ross Taylor's son." He offered hoping to refresh the man's memory.

"It's been a long time," The priest replied. "What can I do for you, Mr. Taylor?" He asked.

"It's Detective actually and I'm looking for someone." Mac told him.

"If I'm not mistaken Detective, missing persons in your line of work. My job is helping lost souls find their way in this world." Papakota shot back.

"Yes, I know but the person in question is a mutual acquaintance of ours; Stella Bonasera. Have you seen or heard from her?" He wanted to know.

"I haven't seen Stella Mou in five years Detective. The last time was one of great emotional distress so unless you did something to hurt her I doubt she'll come to me." Papakota told him.

"How do you know I had something to do with it?" Mac asked defensively.

"Why else would you call to check on her at this ungodly hour?" The priest wondered. Mac couldn't argue with the man's logic. He confessed everything regarding the situation with Stella. When he finished there was a long uncomfortable pause. "If you are looking for absolution, my son, the confessional is open from eleven to seven every day but Sundays." Papakota informed him. The answer caught Mac off guard putting a smile on his face.

"I'm not looking for forgiveness, Father; I just thought you should know in case Stella goes to you." He replied.

"If she comes to me I'll be sure to tell her you called." The other man said.

"It might be better if you didn't mention my name." Mac countered thinking Stella would take off if she knew. "Just… if you hear from her please give me a call to let me know she's okay." He pleaded.

"I can't make you any promises, Detective." Papakota remarked.

"I'll take anything I can get, Father Costa." Mac acknowledged giving the man his cell phone number. "I don't suspect she'll feel like coming into the office so I'll put her in for a sick day." He added unsure why but thought the information was necessary.

"I'll keep that in mind." The priest commented.

Mac said good-bye before he headed upstairs to get dressed. He wanted nothing more than to head down to the church to see Stella for himself. He knew that she needed a father figure more than she needed a friend or a lover. After what had happened earlier he doubted he'd be either much longer.

Once he was dressed he returned to the first floor to grab his customary to-go cup of coffee. When he got to the kitchen he saw the bag of breakfast things and remembered Stella saying something about Lindsey loving the French pastry. Assuming Stella wanted to take them to the office Mac considered it his duty to carry out her wishes.

Taking the breakfast things to work with him was the least he could do for her now. He was the only one there that early but he knew that in half an hour or so people would begin trickling into the office. The first item of business was writing up the paperwork that put her in for a sick day which he then stuck in his outgoing tray to be taken to human resources later.

Mac took the croissants to the break room and set everything out on the counter. He also put on a fresh pot of coffee knowing people would be arriving shortly. He made his rounds and turned on the different pieces of equipment so they could warm up before the others arrived. He also checked the various to-do lists from every department and signed off on what he needed to; leaving a few notes to the duty supervisors.

By the time he made his way back to his office, the first group of lab technicians were stepping off the elevator. They waved at him before following the scent of fresh brew which was pretty much a mainstay around there. Mac made a phone call when he got back to his desk before getting to work.

He had a lot of things to do in a very short amount of time as he would need to leave early. He had a lot to do in preparation for the Governor's Island Gala. Mac had to laugh at the title as it was little more than a fundraiser. City officials used the opportunity to wine and dine the rich in hopes of raking in large donations. Being one of the largest contributors as well as a required guest Mac couldn't back out this late in the game though he hated those kinds of parties.

He'd never liked schmoozing the rich or rubbing elbows with politicians. He'd much rather spend a quiet night at home or at the local pub with the guys. The year he turned sixteen his father had made him attend such events in practice for later in life. Mac had played his roll well but hated every second.

This year however he was less enthusiastic about the Mayor's fundraiser than ever; mainly because everyone in the police department and the crime lab was required to be there. He had always tried to hide his wealth from everyone, not because he was embarrassed but because he didn't want them to think badly of him. Inside he was just like the rest of them but he knew they would only see him for the influential family he'd been born into.

He knew he should have told his crew the truth but every time he'd tried he had back out at the last second. He couldn't stand the thought of seeing their faces when they found out he was only pretending to be one of them. Mac took a deep breath, held it for a second, and let it out slowly.

Peyton had been right, Mac could calmly stare down the barrel of a gun but he couldn't face the possible rejection of his own friends. His stomach twisted into knots at the mere thought of what they would say or how they would react to the news. He hadn't even told Peyton about his wealth and he had been intimate with her.

Claire had often reminded him that woman weren't able to compartmentalize as well as men could. Mac was glad he was better at it than most as he was able to shove all of his emotional turmoil to the back burner. In the meantime he did what was necessary to finish out the day especially if it was to be his last at the crime lab.

He would not let anything stand in the way of the lab's integrity even if that obstacle was himself. He kept an updated resignation letter in his drawer for whenever he became too frustrated with the internal politics of the justice system. The letter would come in handy if the night turned out as he expected. His last order of business before clocking out was to write a recommendation letter for Stella to take his place as head of the crime lab.

He left work at three as he had several stops to make before he headed home to change. The first was to a high end department store to find a dress for Stella. He wasn't certain if she had an evening gown to wear but wanted to get her something as a peace offering. He wasn't sure if it would be taken as the atonement he intended it to be but he had to try.

When he got to the special occasion's area of the woman's section he was happy to find a willing customer service attendant. He explained what he was looking for to the woman and she showed him several choices though none of them were right for Stella. He'd wanted something green to match her eyes but there was nothing that stood out to him. The lady asked him for a description of Stella which he gave her and she told him she had just the thing.

When the attendant brought a dress back to show him he knew instantly that was the one for Stella. The woman wanted to know if he wanted to look at any shoes or matching handbags but Mac shook is head. He didn't know her shoe size and didn't dare guess about something like that though he had a good idea what dress size she wore.

He made his purchase before heading up the street to Tiffany's. The employee there was just as helpful as the first lady and gave him good suggestions though none of them were right. He remembered Fred telling him about the pearls and asked to see what they had to offer.

The woman showed him a beautiful silver chain necklace with individual pearls suspended along its span. He nodded at the selection asking for anything else in the collection that might match and chose a pair of earrings that captured three pearls each. He also chose a matching bracelet that went with it and asked to have them wrapped.

The woman also wanted to know if he was interested in anything else but this time he said yes. He asked if they had something that came close to the same color pink that might coordinate with the jewelry and a white evening gown. The woman smiled and showed him something she called a clutch which set off the jewelry perfectly.

Satisfied with the purchases Mac made his way to Stella's apartment knowing she was still at the orphanage thanks to Papakota's phone call. Mac asked the building's manager for the key to her apartment and left the packages on her dining room table as well as a note apologizing for not explaining things to her before.

He departed the complex and headed home to change his clothes for the event. Afterwards he made his way to the airstrip where he was to meet the mayor and the man's niece who Mac had agreed to accompany after all. It was only for one night and he couldn't say no to an old friend now that Stella had backed out.


	16. Chapter 16: The Pumpkin Ride

AN: Okay this one is really short but expect things, action wise, to pick up from here. Don't forget to read chapter fifteen before this one if you haven't already. Oops! I made an error that I had to correct. I thought grade three detective was the highest you could go and one was the lowest. But I switched it out if you find any other incongruities please let me know.

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

After her chat with Papa Costa, Stella had apparently fallen asleep on his couch. Learning it was already four o'clock in the afternoon she said her good-byes and promised not to stay away so long in the future. She hailed a cab heading to a department store although she didn't really have the time.

There was a dress she'd had her eye on for the longest time despite the fact that it was a little out of her price range. She had been waiting for it to go on sale but tonight's event was a special occasion which she could justify the expense for. When she got to the store she found it had been sold less than an hour ago.

Disappointed Stella headed back to her apartment to find something else to wear to the party. Every year city officials would hit up the rich and powerful for a donation under the guise of a fundraiser and this year was no different. The one thing that was singular about the night's social gathering was that all detective's year two and above were required to be there in addition to the other higher ranks of the police department.

Only year three detectives where allowed their freedom though most of them had to fill in at their precincts while their superiors were wining and dining the wealthy. Cadets from the academy would stand watch over the proceedings so none of the more experienced uniforms had to be pulled off the streets. Stella shook her head wondering whose idea it was this year to hold the party on an island cut off from the rest of the municipality.

When Stella got home she gave the cabbie the correct change and headed upstairs to get ready. The shower she'd had that morning would have to do as she had to be at the boat slip in less than an hour. She unlocked the door to her apartment and went inside making sure the deadbolts held fast.

As she turned around to head to her bedroom, something caught her attention. She walked into the dining room to find that the glimpse of color which had caught her eye was a bag from Tiffany's. She frowned wondering how it got there until she saw the note accompanying the items.

The letter along with the packages was from Mac as an apology for earlier. Tears stung her eyes with the knowledge that the one to seek forgiveness was solely her. He asked nothing more from her except that she wear the provided jewelry if she could find it in her heart to hear him out even though he had every right to demand more.

If that didn't convince her she had gotten the wrong impression about him, opening the packages certainly did. The necklace she had been drooling over for the last few months glared disparagingly at her from inside the first box. Words like idiot, moron, and coward punctuated the opening of the three boxes as she beat herself up more for treating Mac the way she had.

How could he possibly know that she secretly wanted those items since they were first released? Like the dress, she hadn't been able to justify the expensive jewelry as the necklace itself cost ten thousand dollars. She shook her head in disbelief as she stared at the display of contrition before her.

The earrings and the bracelet matched the two tiered necklace of pink pearls, a matching primrose colored handbag was also from Tiffany's. Stella felt even more guilty now than she had earlier and decided right then to perform Mac's simple request. She also practically forgot the reason she was mad at him in the first place.

The thought of his choice of jewelry made her curious as to what was in the dress box. Stella pulled off the lid and brushed aside the tissue paper to reveal a nondescript boat neckline with gathered blouson front. The article of clothing was folded neatly into the box making it hard to tell what the rest looked like.

When she pulled the item from the package she nearly burst into tears for a different reason. There was the dress the woman at the department store said had been sold. Stella hugged the dress to her unable to believe what she was seeing. How had he known? Was Mac spying on her? Had he shown a picture of her around to all of her favorite shops in order to discover what her tastes where?

Somehow that didn't seem plausible for whatever else Mac Taylor was he was still a man; granted extremely old fashioned but still a man nonetheless. How else could he know? For that matter how had he have even known what stores she shopped at not that she made a habit of going to high end stores, even if her trust fund allowed her the freedom.

She tried to live on her income so she wouldn't be taken by surprise if the money should ever run out. The funds from the special account she squirreled away into long term certificates of deposit for a rainy day. She was also saving the money to buy her million dollar apartment in case it was ever sold out from under her.

Now that she knew who her benefactor was she had to wonder if that would ever happen. Perhaps it was more likely to happen after she had rejected him. No, she reconsidered, that wasn't like the Mac Taylor she knew. Not the man who had given her such an expensive peace offering.

Stella couldn't deny that she was hurt by his secrecy but she tried to see his point of view. She had to consider the possibility that she might not have acted differently if their roles were reversed. She set aside her own tumultuous emotions for the time being and hurried to get dressed. If she made it down to the river in time to catch the ferry it would be a miracle.

Despite her excitement, Stella washed off unwilling to sully the ankle length dress Mac had given her. When she slipped on the outfit and looked at herself in the mirror; it was as though an image of a Greek goddess was staring back at her. Her always wayward hair stuck out but she managed to wrangle it into a presentable form even if it wouldn't stay that way all night.

The imagery was complete when she added the jewelry and she couldn't help but stand there looking at her reflection. The warning bell on her phone alerted her that her time was up and she scurried to find a pair of shoes from her closet. She found a pair of pink sandals that wrapped around her legs and tied just below the knees.

After locking up her apartment she was out the door and hailing a cab. She couldn't help feel a bit like Cinderella on the way to the ball in a pumpkin. She couldn't help but wonder if the dream would end at the stroke of midnight.

Most days she found the whistles and cat calls of men annoying but at the moment she found them encouraging. However the only man whose attention she wanted to attract that evening was one she didn't deserve. More over, she wasn't certain if Mac would ever feel the same about her again. She had to at least take a chance that her earlier actions wouldn't separate them forever.


	17. Chapter 17: Never Let Her Go

AN: Please be sure to vote in the pole on my profile page if you haven't done so already. The poll will be closing when I am finished writing this story. Thanks to all those who have already voted. Your views are much appreciated.

Remember I post two chapters at a time so don't forget to read chapter 18. Thank you for your continued interest.

Enjoy!

VaniDot

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Chapter Seventeen: Never Let Her Go

Mac kept one eye on the door while trying to keep up with the conversation of his companions. He finally managed to allude his date for the evening. She had been clinging to his arm, like her dress clung to her boney form, since her uncle introduced them. While she wasn't the worst date he'd ever had she was one of the clingiest… at least when her uncle was looking.

Mac couldn't quite figure her out and he was normally able to read most people. He could tell that she was lying about being in town, a girl like that wouldn't just drop by to see her uncle… unless she wanted something. There was definitely something going on but he didn't have much time to devote grey cells to the matter.

When he took another look at the door his breath caught in his throat: there stood Stella surrounded in a halo of light. She was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen. It took him several seconds to realize that, besides the jewelry, she was also wearing the dress he'd bought for her.

He caught her eye and smiled; her face lit up and for a second it felt as though they were the only two in the room. He mumbled excuses to his companion and made his way towards her. Stella did the same meeting him halfway.

"I'm sorry!" They exclaimed at the same time making each other laugh.

"I'm really sorry, Stella." Mac told her before she could say anything else.

"I know, Mac, I guess I was just… taken by surprise." She replied.

"There's so much I want to tell you." He confessed. She smiled and put her hand on his arm.

"I'm glad, because I'm ready to listen now." She acknowledged. He returned her smile and covered her hand with one of his own.

"You look gorgeous," He praised reaching out to touch a curl which had sprung free from the rest of her upswept hair. He noticed a barely perceptible shiver in her making him smile inwardly. If he could affect her like that then he still had a chance at securing her affections.

"Mac, how did you know?" She asked curiously.

"Know what?" He inquired uncertainly.

"The dress, the jewelry, I…" She began but they were interrupted by the Mayor's niece who pounced on his arm pulling it away from Stella's hair.

"He's my date go get your own." The blonde girl demanded overconfidently sounding a bit tipsy.

"Diamond, that's rude say you're sorry." Mac chastised pulling his arm out of her grasp.

"You sound like my father." She complained. "You're supposed to be my date, MacKenna." Diamond pouted batting her eyes at him in a vain attempt at seduction.

"That's because I have little patience for silly children. Now apologize or I'll take you back to sit with your uncle." He threatened the twenty something year old.

"Fine I'm sorry," She said unconvincingly before turning on the false sweetness again. "Aren't you going to introduce me to your friend?" She asked though the last word was said with derision.

"Stella, this is Diamond Barrette: the mayor's niece. Diamond, this is Stella Bonasera." Mac made the introductions earning a sympathetic smile from Stella for his trouble.

"Hi," Diamond greeted Stella never once letting go of his sleeve. "Come on. McKenna! The music is starting and as my date you're required to dance with me." She whined.

"When I agreed to dance with you I was referring to a waltz not that modern crap they're playing now." Mac shook her off. "Go find someone close to your own age to dance with while I talk to my friends." Mac told her.

He noticed Danny, Lindsey, and Sid join Don and Angel who had arrived shortly after Stella. He wanted to try and get the gang all together before the immanent announcement. He really wanted to tell them the truth before it was broadcasted over the loudspeakers.

"But…!" Diamond began with a pout but he threw a warning glance over at the mayor's table. That silenced her and she walked off in a huff.

"Hey, Mac! I didn't see you on the ferry. When did you get here?" Danny asked as the gang gathered around Mac and Stella.

"I came by helicopter, Danny." He explained.

"Wow, Stella, you look amazing!" Lindsey exclaimed as the two women hugged.

"So, Boss, what did you do to score a hot chick like that?" Danny inquired.

Mac frowned looking off in the direction Diamond had disappeared. He wouldn't exactly call her a beauty but then his tastes were different from most men's nowadays. She was gyrating with some poor sap who had been taken in by her meager charms.

"I didn't score anything with Diamond, Danny. I only agreed to go out with her because my first choice backed out at the last second." He told his subordinate glancing up at Stella who smiled apologetically. When he looked up at Danny he was mirroring Mac's own quirk of the eyebrow.

"I was talking about Stella." Danny grinned mischievously, earning three simultaneous smacks to the back of his head, none of which came from Mac.

"Ow Stell, what you got in that thing: your gun or something?" Danny asked rubbing the back of his throbbing head. Mac smiled as Stella tucked her weapon of choice under her arm once again.

"Nope, just my badge and a pair of handcuffs. My gun's down here," She hitched her skirt a little to show the garter holster usually reserved for undercover police women. Mac gave her a look as she dropped the hem of her dress and smoothed the fabric back down. "I worked vice for a few years before I joined the crime lab." She explained seeing the look on his face.

"I need to tell you guys something…" Mac began hesitantly. Just as he opened his mouth to speak however the dreaded announcement went out. The loudspeakers drowned him out and he was blinded by the spotlight being suddenly shown on him.

"McKenna, come up here and say something." The Mayor called out to him.

"Whoa dude, are you serious? You're MacKenna Taylor? The MacKenna Taylor, richest bachelor in town, not to mention the most elusive, who somehow manages to avoid having his picture taken. That guy?" Danny asked incredulously when Mac turned to look back at his team. Instead of seeing anger and rejection in the eyes of his surrogate family he saw surprise, which wasn't wholly unexpected, mixed with something more. He wasn't sure if what he saw was acceptance or not, but it gave him hope.

"Yes, Danny, he's that MacKenna Taylor." Sid spoke up offering Mac an understanding smile along with a nod. Sid conveyed with his eyes the message that he would explain everything while Mac did his duty to the Mayor.

As he moved toward the podium he felt a hand on his arm and he looked down to see Stella's smiling face. He returned her smile which she rewarded with a kiss on his cheek before she let him leave. Mac sighed in relief knowing he wouldn't need to make use of that resignation letter after all.

Mac diligently shook the mayor's hand and gave his speech even though he was nervous. Fred always said he was a natural but he had just become good at hiding his inner turmoil. It was nice knowing he had people in his corner though and a friendly face in the crowd, as Frederick was there as well, didn't hurt either.

The others in the police department weren't quite as understanding as he earned glares from both his peers as well as his fellow officers. He'd always tried keeping both of his lives separate but tonight the two halves met in a high speed collision. Those who hadn't already known about his double life were less than pleased by the knowledge although he hadn't expected any less.

When he was finally allowed to retreat to safety, he sought out his co-workers, who he hoped to still call his friends. He was surprised to receive understanding hugs the three women as well as slaps on the back from the guys. He couldn't help but frown, thoroughly confused.

"You guys aren't mad at me?" Mac had to ask.

"Well, Boss, it would have been nice if you had taken us into your confidence sooner. Linds and me aren't gonna hold it against you, though Lucy might have a few more things tacked onto her Christmas list this year." Danny declared making him smile and shake his head. Lindsey punched her husband on the arm.

"You're a bit too old for Santa Clause, Danny." Mac chuckled when Danny acted like a disappointed kid. He noticed Flack looking rather uncomfortable however. "Don?" he questioned in concern.

"Can I talk to you for a sec?" Don motioned with his head towards a quiet corner.

"Yeah, sure. Sid, why don't you show everybody to the table? We'll meet you there in a minute." Mac suggested.

"We'll find you guys later; us girls have to use the ladies room." Stella made excuses for the three of them before heading off in the opposite direction. Mac watched her for a few seconds before moving to the side as Don requested.

"I gotta know, Mac, did you even try to help out when Mom got sick?" Don said what was bothering him.

"I tried, Don. I really did but your father wouldn't have any of it. He was worried the department might think he was taking a bribe if he suddenly had access to unexplained funds." Mac expounded.

"Did you know dad's loosing the house cause he can't pay off the loans he took out to cover the hospital bills?" Don wanted to know.

"Don't worry, Don, it's taken care of." Mac assured his friend.

"What exactly does that mean?" Don inquired, needing a better answer than that.

"If I tell you, you have to promise not to tell Donald." Mac sighed not wanting to give away too much.

"Depends," Don answered unsatisfied.

"You have to give me your word, Don." Mac insisted knowing Don senior would have a heart attack if he knew.

"Okay, Mac I give now spill." Don junior demanded.

"I pulled a few strings with the bank that holds your father's mortgage. I paid off the second and third loans he took out on the house." Mac revealed yet another secret he'd failed to keep hidden.

"You mean that reverse mortgage thing was you?" Don questioned.

"My lawyer can give you the particulars if you'd like. Fred's here tonight but I'm sure he won't mind talking a little business." Mac offered to make the introductions.

"Geeze, you coulda put me out of my misery you know, Mac. I thought Pop had fallen for another scam or something." Don sighed in relief covering his face with one hand. Mac put a hand on the younger man's shoulder in support.

"I know, Fred's been discreetly keeping an eye on his finances for that very reason." Mac acknowledged his ex-partner's weakness for things that sounded too good to be true. "You aren't going to hold it against me are you?" He inquired.

"For helping my dad out of a jam?" Don wondered.

"For not telling you the truth sooner." Mac voiced his fears.

"You got any other mind blowing secrets you plan on revealing anytime soon?" Don asked. Mac shook his head. "Then promise me you won't keep something that important a secret from now on." He insisted.

"I think I can manage that." Mac gratefully accepted Don's terms. "Let's join the other shall we?" he recommended.

"Just a sec, Mac. I wanted to ask you and Danny something but I kinda wanted to talk to you first." Don hesitated as apparently there was more he wanted to say. Mac nodded and waited patiently for his friend to speak his mind. "I don't know if you know this or not but Detective Angel and I have been going out for a while now." Don went on with his explanation.

"Yeah I know, Stella told me. So when is the big day?" Mac guessed where the conversation was headed. Don blushed with embarrassment, but couldn't help the smile that spread over his face.

"We've both got some time coming in October; we thought we'd have the wedding then. Listen, I was hoping you'd agree to be my best man." Don posed a question Mac hadn't expected to hear.

"Are you sure you want me and not Danny?" Mac had to know for sure.

"Of course I'm sure. You're not still worried I'm gonna hold that earth shattering secret against you are you?" Don asked. Mac nodded his head feeling a little sheepish. "Come on Mac you're the most honest guy I know. If you kept the truth from us then you must have had a good reason. You interested or not?" Don gave him the assurance he needed.

"I'd be honored to be your best man." Mac agreed. "I take it you're going to ask Danny as well," He judged.

"Yeah, if I'm not mistaken Angel already asked Stell and Lindsey to be her bridesmaids." Don made known as they headed for the table at last. By the look on Sid's face he had just been given the happy news as well. "Hey Doc, you wanna get your hand, off my girl?" Don commented as Sid was giving the bride-to-be a congratulatory hug.

"Sorry; didn't mean to cut in on your date, Don, beside I'm a happily married man." Sid chuckled and shook the man's hand to congratulate him as well.

They talked for a while on various subjects until the music started up again reminding Mac of the promise he'd made to Diamond. He made his excuses to the team and went in search of the woman he was supposed to be escorting. When he couldn't find the Mayor's niece he went to talk to the mayor, but he hadn't seen her either.

"Hey, Mac, what's wrong?" Stella asked coming up behind him after some time had passed.

"I've been trying to locate Diamond, but I can't find her anywhere." Mac told her.

"Do you want me to go look in the ladies room?" She asked curiously.

"Thanks but Elle already went to check," He replied spotting Fred's wife heading towards them. He moved towards her with Stella following him but when the three of them met Estelle shook her head.

"I'm sorry, McKenna; she wasn't there and no one saw her come in or leave." She told them. "Have you talked to her uncle?" Estelle wanted to know.

"Yeah, he doesn't know where she disappeared to either." Mac answered.

"I just spoke with the head of security. They haven't seen her either but they'll do a sweep of the outside to make sure no one snuck passed the guards at the entrances." Frederick reported coming up to them from behind.

"Thanks, Fred." Mac told the older man. "Fred, Elle, I'd like the two of you to meet Stella Bonasera: the girl I rescued." Mac introduced them to his important person. "Stella, this is my father's old business partner, Frederick Pierce. I know the two of you have already met but I wanted to introduce you formally. This is his wife Estelle, though she let's me get away with calling her Elle." He added.

"Of course I've met Mr. Pierce, but I haven't met Mrs. Pierce yet." Stella smiled holding out her hand to the other woman.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you my dear." Estelle accepted Stella's hand but pulled her into a hug. "McKenna hardly talks about anyone else… when he talks to us at all." She added throwing a barb in his direction as punishment for staying away so long.

"He does?" Stella asked as Estelle finally released her.

"In the beginning you were all he ever spoke about but not so much these last seventeen years. I guess Claire had something to do with that though." Estelle mentioned. Mac felt his chest constrict a little at the mention of his wife. "I'm sorry, McKenna, I didn't mean to bring up a painful subject." Estelle apologized giving him a hug as well.

"Its okay, Elle, talking about Claire doesn't hurt as much anymore." Mac admitted truthfully. Estelle looked from him to Stella making him blush at how easily the woman could still read him. Estelle patted his cheek offering a tender smile.

"Maybe you can help me convince McKenna to come over for dinner this weekend." Estelle turned her attention to Stella.

"I don't know how much help I could be." Stella objected. "I'm still getting used to the fact that he has a different name." She added sheepishly which made Estelle frown in confusion.

"I never told Stella who I really am, Elle." Mac confessed making the other woman cluck at him in disgust.

"I kind of stumbled on the truth this morning." Stella added another heap of burning coals on Mac's head; though he was sure her comment wasn't meant with malicious intent.

"Men and their conspiracies," Estelle shook her head. "I take it this was your brilliant idea, McKenna Boyd Taylor." She guessed. "And you didn't think to advise him against such a foolish course of action, my dear?" She inquired turning her gaze on her husband.

"In Fred's defense, he did try to talk me out of it Elle." Mac made known. "I was eighteen; it seemed to make sense at the time." He added looking at Stella hoping she could understand. She smiled up at him making his chest constrict a different reason. She was so beautiful that doubts began filling his mind again.

"I thought he'd change his mind after enough time had passed to process his own grief. You have to admit finding an injured girl the same day you burry your parents is enough to effect anyone's ability to think clearly." Fred spoke up. Mac glanced at the other man earning an accepting nod. Mac smiled at him grateful that someone understood what was going on at the time.

"Fred, Stella told me she never received any of their belongings from Wentworth's apartment." Mac brought up.

"Oh my! I didn't think about that. Sheriff Kane and his wife gave her some clothes, they said they were just hand-me-downs but Stella never complained. Estelle asked Sister Eunice what size the girl wore and bought tons of clothes. I'm sorry, Stella, that I never considered looking into it. I'll see what I can do maybe they're still in evidence somewhere. I'll have to call John and see what his friend did with Wentworth's belongings." Fred apologized.

"It's okay, I just… I would have liked to have had a picture of my mother is all." Stella replied softly looking at the ground. Estelle gave her another warm embrace soothingly.

"Frederick will do whatever he can, my dear." Estelle assured her. Stella nodded sadly meeting Mac's eyes. He felt the need to take her in his arms again but to comfort her this time. Strangely, though she was old enough now she didn't need it, the urge to protect her grew stronger than when he'd first laid eyes on her all those years ago.

"I'm not sure it will help in your search, but Uncle Eddie was in insurance." Stella informed Fred, referring to the previous conversation.

"That puts me in mind of something, McKenna. I need you to come to the office tomorrow." Fred told him.

"Sure, not a problem. What is this about?" Mac was curious to know.

"Nothing serious, Gwen found something of Claire's in an old folder when we were cleaning out my filing cabinet in the office. I forgot about it until then. Just some details you need to look at and a few papers you need to sign off on as her executor. Do you happen to know who Reed Conrad is by any chance?" Fred inquired.

"The boy Claire gave up for adoption twenty-four years ago was named Reed. I heard from him a while ago when he was looking for his birth mother. His last name is Garrett now. I can get you his contact information." Mac explained.

"Good, bring it with you tomorrow," Fred requested.

"Sure thing," Mac agreed just as they began to play the Moonlight Sonata by Beethoven.

"McKenna, since you can't find Diamond why don't you dance with Stella." Estelle suggested. Mac looked to Stella who blushed becomingly.

"Stella?" He asked.

"I would like that," She said shyly. Fred slapped Mac on the back as he moved passed him. He led Stella out onto the dance floor being the first couple there. "I feel like I should curtsy or something." She told him.

"I'm afraid I only know one dance." He commented at almost the same time. They laughed at themselves and each other before getting serious again.

"Now you've piqued my interest. What dance do you know?" Stella wondered.

"The waltz," He said bowing regally in front of her. She laughed again and returned his bow with a curtsy before he took her in his arms.

"You dance pretty well for someone who only has one dance routine to his repertoire, Mac." Stella observed as he began to take them around the room.

"I'm just happy I don't have to count under my breath anymore." He chuckled.

"What induced you to learn only one dance?" She inquired as he swung them around once again. Other couples were beginning to fill the floor so he had to minimize the number of turns he could make.

"Mom loved old films especially the Fred Astaire movies with Ginger Rogers. She'd get to watching one then start dancing across the floor in time with the music. She made me take dance lessons but that's about as far as I got. She tried to get me to learn the fox trot as well but one was enough." He told her.

"Then I guess I shouldn't expect an invitation if they start playing a tango," She laughed again.

"Sid can fill in for me if your heart is set on a Latin dance." He replied. She smiled and shook her head.

"I'm happy right where I am, thanks." She informed him.

"Since I told you my secret you have to give me something." He charged.

"Oh yeah! What do you want in exchange?" She asked curiously looking up at him. He almost lost step with the music and had to count to get back into the rhythm before he could answer.

"Knowledge of how you came to be such a good dancer yourself," He elaborated.

"I used to sneak into the church when Papa Costa was conducting wedding ceremonies." She began.

"Papa Costa?" Mac interrupted her.

"That's what I used to call Father Papakota when I first got to the orphanage. I think I was twelve before someone finally corrected my mistake but he didn't seem to mind." She answered, he nodded his head in understanding but let her continue. "I loved watching the brides walk down the isle in their beautiful dresses and long flowing trains. Sometimes they would have the reception on the ground of the church and I would have time to watch their first dance before Matron came and shooed me back inside. I begged her and Papa Costa for dance lessons. They finally agreed and enrolled me in a studio owned by one of the church patrons. I tried ballet but found tap much more to my liking. My dance teacher liked old movies as well so she incorporated some Fred and Ginger style dancing in there as well." She finished with her explanation.

"I'm glad she did. You can rescue me from humiliation by being my date to Don and Angel's wedding." He stated rather than asked her to accompany him. She didn't reject the offer completely which he took as a good sign.

"Don ask you to be his best man?" She asked.

"Yeah, Angel mention it when she asked you to be her maid of honor?" he returned with his own query.

"Yep, how did you know?" She questioned.

"I deduced a reasonable conclusion from the knowledge at hand." He smiled. "How did you?" He inquired.

"It was a logical assumption based on all the facts." She grinned back just as the music faded out and all the dancers stopped to applaud the musicians.

A startled scream, followed by the sound of breaking glass caused him to pull Stella aside to safety. More screams ensued as the glass fell from the skylight in the ceiling above the dance floor and people scattered trying to get away from the falling debris. As chaos erupted around them, Mac headed for the center of the dance floor against the flood of people trying to escape the shards of glass and pieces of metal framework raining down on them.

Lying broken on the floor along with the stained glass window from the skylight above was the woman he had brought to the party. Mac knelt down beside the body to feel for a pulse and shook his head sadly when he found none. Her neck had been broken and blood began to seep through a hole in her abdomen.

"Great, oh that's just great!" Danny exclaimed coming up beside him along with the rest of the team. "Can't we just have one night out that doesn't include a dead body?" He complained. "Good thing I brought that camera after all. I've got the roof." He said heading for the stairs with Lindsey in tow.

"I guess that puts an end to the festivities." Don spoke up. "I'll help with the evacuation; someone had to have seen something." He added heading for the door to coordinate with the head of security; Angel went with him.

"Unlike Danny, I didn't bring items of my trade with me. I'll have to get her back to the lab to know more. Mac, you didn't happen to bring your kit did you?" Sid asked curiously but Mac shook his head.

"No, I didn't know it was a 'bring your own forensic kit' event. Stella, please see if the photographer has an extra digital camera we can borrow. Sheldon, Sid, I'll leave the two of you to secure the body." Mac directed standing up.

"Where are you going to be?" Stella asked.

"I'm going to go tell the Mayor that I failed to protect his niece." He informed her.

"Mac," Sid warned but Mac shook off his concern. His job had been to make certain the girl stayed out of trouble; he wasn't going to cast the blame on anyone else not even the foolish young woman who was now lying dead at his feet. Mac began to walk away but someone caught him by the arm. He turned to look back at Stella who shared Sid's look of concern.

"He's right you know; this wasn't your fault, Mac." She insisted.

"Tell that to the Mayor's family." He replied feeling as though he'd let his friend, the mayor, down.

"You don't blame me do you?" She inquired. He frowned and shook his head.

"Why would you think that?" He asked, dismayed that she might feel guilty herself.

"Because I distracted you," She replied. He turned, took hold of both her arms, and pulled her into a kiss. She didn't pull away as he'd feared but leaned into him instead.

"Don't be silly!" He told her when he finally pulled away. "The only thing you should feel guilty of is making me fall in love with you and on the whole I find that a rather pleasant experience. I may not have been the cause of that girl's death but she might still be alive if I hadn't pushed her away. I'm not entirely blameless in her death, Stella. That's something I can't let go of lightly but I'll get over it eventually." He assured her. She smiled and touched his cheek with her hand before going to do as he'd asked. Mac shook his head wondering what he'd ever done to deserve a woman like Stella. He determined with both his head and his heart to never let her go.


	18. Chapter 18: The Blazing Inferno

AN: Please Do Not Forget to Read Chapter 17! Also please be sure to vote in the pole on my profile page if you haven't done so already. The poll will be closing when I am finished writing this story. Thanks to all those who have already voted. Your views are much appreciated. I hope I can continue to enthrall you. When I finish this story I will be taking a break from posting fan fiction for a while so I can concentrate on getting some of my originals publishable. I do plan to take down my other fan fics to polish them up before I do however. So even if you have started to or have read my other stories you can come back to them when I get the edited. Writing this story has proven to me that I don't need to be so wordy. On that point I'll let you get back to the long awaited chapter.

Remember I post two chapters at a time and if you haven't read seventeen yet please go back and do so now before you read further as I Just posted 17 before posting this one. Thank you for your continued interest.

Enjoy!

VaniDot

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter Eighteen: Finding Mac

Stella couldn't help but wonder how the night would have turned out if Diamond hadn't crashed the party. She also felt a little guilty for being jealous of a dead girl who now had Mac's full attention. Mac didn't want Stella anywhere near the body for fear she might get blood on her white dress.

She was stuck coordinating things between the boat slip and the helipad instead. The governor: who had made a special appearance, as well as the city counsel members: who attended the gala, where the first to be evacuated from the island. The mayor had refused to leave at first until Mac promised he would do everything in his power to find the culprit. Mayor Thompson was on the next helicopter back to the mainland, along with his entourage.

Mac had asked her to make sure the mayor actually got on the helicopter and that he didn't disembark before it had a chance to leave. Finished with that, she made her way back to the crime scene after checking in on Flack and Angel. Some of the cadets she talked to along the way felt a little out of their element but they all performed admirably. It reminded Stella a bit of how nervous she had been on her first assignment.

Upon her arrival she noted that Mac was wrapping up the investigation of the site. She observed quietly for a while as she loved watching him work. He must have noticed she was staring as he looked up and gave her a self-conscious smile.

They both seemed keenly aware of each other tonight as she had caught him staring at her as well. It made her heart flutter at the possibilities. There were still questions she wanted answers to but the prospect of having Mac as her benefactor didn't seem as unsettling as it had earlier that morning.

She had always pictured someone like Sid or Papakota as her benefactor. Someone older and more mature of years with a head full of white hair who was also hard of hearing. She didn't expect her benefactor to be someone barely a decade older than she was, and who was also dangerously attractive. Mac didn't exactly fit her storybook ideal gathered from sources like the Secret Garden and A little Princess, two of her favorite books when she was growing up.

When she imagined her benefactor, she hadn't expected him to have such a young man servant either. An Indian Lascar who waited on Sarah in: 'A Little Princess', or someone like Priory in her favorite Disney movie: 'Candleshoe' came to mind when she imagined her benefactor's right hand man. Sid on the other hand wasn't that much older than Mac was, though how he'd managed to fit so much living into such a short life she wasn't sure. She didn't doubt that Sid could fit pirate and adventurer under his belt of accomplishments as well.

Knowing what she now knew about Sid being a former servant of Mac's, Stella realized she had been mistaken earlier. What she had perceived as a heartless comment from Mac this morning was nullified by his actions where Sid was concerned. She could see that Mac cared for Sid much the same way that the medical examiner cared for Mac.

Sid had already confessed that he thought of Mac as a son and she could tell the fondness was mutual. Stella had pretty much avoided Sid for the duration of the party as she was certain Mac had told him about their earlier encounter. She was afraid that Sid would condemn her for pulling her weapon on a man to whom he was fiercely loyal.

"Stella, can I talk to you?" Sid spoke coming up behind her. Stella jumped involuntarily at the sound of his voice. She looked around for any excuse to get out of the ensuing reprimand but there was no escape so she took a deep breath.

"I know what you're thinking Sid, but it wasn't really like that. I was scared and hurt and well… I wouldn't have really shot him!" She let it all out in the same lungful of air.

"What are you talking about Stella? Shot who?" Sid frowned in confusion.

"My pulling a gun on Mac earlier. What are you talking about?" Stella asked watching his face transform from a look of confusion to one of surprise. "Mac didn't tell you about the incident this morning did he?" She realized feeling rather silly. He shook his head.

"I just wanted to know why you've been avoiding me but I guess I have my answer. You really pulled your gun on Mac?" Sid wondered incredulously, causing her to blush.

"I got a little emotional when he tried to tell me that he, not you, was my benefactor." She confessed awkwardly.

"I'm sorry, Stella! I should have told you when you first approached me about that but I know Mac doesn't like being taken by surprise by these kinds of things. I wasn't sure how you'd react. He should have told you a long time ago and I realize now I shouldn't have kept you in the dark either." Sid apologized but she reached her hand out to him.

"No, Sid, you have nothing to be sorry for." She squeezed his arm reassuringly. "I'm the one who jumped to conclusions without giving you time to process the information I was firing at you. I certainly didn't give you the chance to explain the situation. I'm the one who should be apologizing to you. I was just so excited to find my benefactor after all these years. I never once considered that he could be so young or have a family of his own." She admitted contritely.

"You are a part of our family, Stella, you always have been. We just should have been a part of yours. Mac wasn't old enough at the time but I could have raised you." Sid offered conciliatorily.

"It was the seventies, Sid. There were laws against an individual adopting a child especially a single man adopting a little girl." She acknowledged his efforts.

"You're probably right but we still should have done things differently." He persisted. She gave him a comforting hug.

"I'm here now, Sid, and I'm not going anywhere." She guaranteed. He patted her back and kissed her forehead before letting her go.

"I still can't believe you pulled your gun on Mac." Sid chuckled. "I wish I'd been there to see that," He added making her laugh.

"I know! I feel really bad about it now but it made a lot of sense at the time. I just needed some space to think." She conveyed what she'd felt earlier. He nodded in understanding and brushed aside a lock of her hair which had sprung loose again. She smiled at him feeling less conflicted than she had that morning.

"Stella, Sid?" Mac questioned in concern making them turn simultaneously towards him. He frowned at them apparently wondering what they were discussing.

"Mac, why didn't you tell me what happened this morning?" Sid demanded clarification.

"I didn't want to get Stella in trouble. It's also between me and her." Mac stated for the defense.

"You involved me in this the day I sang to her in the hospital. It's a little too late to keep me out of the loop, McKenna." Sid countered disparagingly.

"That was you?" Stella exclaimed.

"I thought you were asleep. You seemed to be having a nightmare so I did the only thing I knew to calm you." Sid acknowledged.

"I remember how bad it hurt then this singing was coming from somewhere and somebody was stroking my hair. You did that?" She inquired. He smiled at her and smoothed her hair out of her face again. "What language was that?" She had to know.

"It was an old lullaby my grandmother used to sing to me. She was Lithuanian." Sid answered in embarrassment. "That song is the extent of my knowledge of her mother tongue." He expounded.

"Okay I give up!" Mac piped in obviously feeling left out. "Since this doesn't seem to be a battle I can win. Why don't we all get together this Sunday and the two of us can tell you everything you want to know." He suggested.

"No, this Sunday you're taking me to the Pierces' for dinner. Estelle made me promise to get you to come even if I had to arrest you and drag you there in handcuffs, kicking and screaming." Stella informed him of his impending doom. He rolled his eyes and flung his hands up in defeat.

"Saturday then," Mac conceded. "Can we get back to work now?" He asked in frustration eager to get back to work. Stella and Sid turned their attention back to the matter at hand. "I'm ready for you to transport the body, Sid. Some of your people from the M.E.'s office are returning with the helicopter bringing everything you'll need." Mac grew serious as he laid the information before them. "Since there were so many eyewitnesses we don't really need to establish time of death but we still need an official C.O.D. Did you and Sheldon manage to determine the cause of death?" Mac wanted to know.

"Yeah, despite the obvious hole in her abdomen I would have to say she died of a broken neck." Sid declared.

"Not the gun shot?" Mac asked curiously.

"I can't be sure until I get her on my table but based on the location of the wound I'd have to say she could have survived the injury with proper treatment. The cause of her demise was definitely a severed spinal column likely sustained in the decent from point A to point B." Sid stuck to his original conclusion.

"You could have just said it was the fall that killed her, Sid." Mac shook his head trying to hide a smile.

"But that wouldn't have been as much fun." Sid grinned, causing Stella to laugh and was rewarded by a real smile from Mac.

"That fits in with what we found up on the roof, Boss." Danny reported joining them with Lindsey hard on his heels.

"You secure the evidence?" Mac demanded. Danny nodded and motioned towards another plastic tub sitting beside the one already on the dance floor. They had to borrow stuff from the caterers as they hadn't brought their own evidence collection equipment. Ziploc bags and plastic crates were sufficient to transport everything back to the lab. "What did you find?" Mac questioned.

"There was definitely a struggle of some sort up there." Lindsey added her two cents.

"Yeah! After our perp tossed the vic through the window, he took a swan dive of his own. We found ropes and carabineers on the dark side of the island. Could be why our boys in blue didn't find anything suspicious. Looks like the guy came prepared for something, Mac." Danny judged.

"Any prints?" Stella asked before Mac had a chance and threw him an apologetic smile.

"Probably wore gloves; all we managed to pull were some imprints but we won't know more until we get the stuff back to the lab." Danny shook his head.

"Alright we've got a boat load of suspects and nothing to tie any of them to our vic." Mac said sourly.

"All the passengers check out against the invite list, present company excluded, everyone's accounted for." Don brought forth as he entered the room with Angel at his side.

"Unless we have a stowaway to contend with I don't see one of them being our perp. Sorry, Mac." Angel added in tandem.

"Something makes me think that whoever did this brought his own transportation. He could have even hopped a ride on the last ferry and hid out until after closing time. However, it makes more sense that he would have his own means of escape." Mac surmised.

"Do you think he's still on the island?" Stella wondered.

"It's a possibility we can't rule out. Sheldon, Danny, and Lindsey I want you three back at the lab processing the evidence. Sid, I want to know exactly what killed Diamond and anything clue you can find on her that might lead us to the person who did this. Angel, I want you and Stella going over every millisecond of this girl's life. Mayor's niece or not she was hiding something and I want to know what it was." Mac directed.

"Don't I get any orders?" Don grinned.

"You're with me, Flack, get on the horn and have the coast guard do a sweep of the perimeter. On second thought don't use your radio. In case this guy's listening I don't want him knowing that we're on to him. Tell the head of security I want a canvas of the entire island. Pair the cadets up into teams of two and have them fan out from here." Mac inferred that he was staying behind filling Stella with a sense of dread..

"I'm on it." Flack acknowledged his part in the investigation and went to carry out his instructions. The sound of the blades slicing through the night sky alerted them to the arrival of the helicopter.

"Mac, our job here is done. The uniforms can take it from here you don't have to stay behind." Stella urged.

"I know, Stella, but I'm a police officer first and a scientist second. I'm not leaving here until I've fulfilled my promise to the Mayor." He told her, reaching out to brush her hair out of her face, much like Sid had done earlier. Unlike Sid, however, the action made her shiver slightly. He pulled her towards him and kissed her on the lips. A moment of stunned silence was followed by whistles and cheers from their companions. Mac drew away after the short kiss and Stella blushed slightly at the looks on everyone's faces.

"It took me two years to learn that Mac had been dating Peyton for almost four. I gotta say he must really like you, Stella, if he's kissing you publicly only three months after you joined the team. How come you made me wait a year before I got to do that to you, Linds?" Danny asked his wife.

"You were seeing someone else at the time, Messer." Lindsey shot back looking at her husband with annoyance. This time it was Mac who slapped Danny on the back of his head. Danny pouted and rubbed his superficially injured skull casting a glare at the culprit.

"I'm just telling the truth. How come I always got to be punished for it?" Danny wanted to know. Mac patted the side of younger man's face giving him an amused grin.

"Go to work, Danny." Mac ordered, before turning serious again.

Stella couldn't help feel a little like an interloper being the newest member of family like setting. That is until Mac turned his gaze to her once more. Her insides grew warm with the look in his eyes and she had to glance quickly away. Mac started to leave but she caught up to him before he could go very far.

"Aren't you going to wait for Don?" She asked worriedly.

"Tell Flack to meet me at the construction site. They're going to be tearing down some of the more dilapidated buildings to build an art gallery. That's the likeliest spot for a hideout and I want to check it out." Mac informed her.

"Which is even more of a reason to wait for back up. I'll come with you." She persisted but he shook his head.

"I've been a cop for a long time, Stella." Mac countered.

"Yeah but I didn't know you then." She said softly. He took her in his arms again and kissed her with a bit more zeal than his earlier kiss had been. She sighed wishing it could go on forever but he pulled away.

"I know what I'm doing and beside as you suggested the guy might not be on the island anymore." Mac assured her. She drew up the hem of her skirt and took her gun from its holster to hand to him but he shook his head. "Keep it. You're not the only one who came prepared." He implied pulling up the leg of his pants to reveal a fully loaded ankle holster. "I worked undercover too." He winked at her before letting the fabric drop once again.

"I just want you safe." She determined.

"I've got over a hundred cadets at my disposal and the pilot has orders to return to the island once he's deposited Sid and the body on the mainland. I'll be fine. Besides, keeping you safe is my top priority." He informed her making her smile at the implication that he was staking his claim.

"Promise me you'll be careful!" She exclaimed.

"I will, now get out of here before I really do write you up for insubordination." He ordered in a teasing tone. She playfully batted at his arm before she obediently went to join her new found family. She still felt his eyes on her and when she looked back one last time he was staring at her again. Stella sighed trying to ignore the sense of foreboding that had begun nagging at her and followed the other to the helipad where Sid directed the loading of the body.

The helicopter's engines where just warming back up when a loud explosion shook the small island. They all turned towards the sound to find a glowing fire in the direction from which they had just come. It was a bit beyond the building where the festivities had taken place a short time ago; and the same route in which Mac was headed. Stella's chest tightened in fear and she started for the burning rubble. Arms tightened around her and she looked back to see who her captor was.

"Mac's in there, Sid. I have to go to him!" She exclaimed breaking free of his grasp. "I'll call you when I find him." She shouted over her shoulder leaving Sid standing there in stunned silence. Stella was glad she hadn't worn a pair of heels as she broke out into a dead run. Finding Mac was her only thought as she raced towards the blazing inferno.


	19. Chapter 19: Of Mice and Men

AN: Sorry for making everyone wait so long. Here's the next installment of the story and Mac's act of heroicism. For those of you who read this whose mother tongue isn't English please forgive the way Lenny talks. It's a regional accent based on how my own grandmother spoke. Please let me know if you have trouble. He's a combination of two characters, I've hinted at one now see if you can't guess the other. Hint it's another Gary Sinise movie… Please don't forget to vote in the poll on my profile page if you haven't done so already even if you're not from America. And please don't forget to read both chapters nineteen and twenty.

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter Nineteen: Of Mice and Men

Mac stayed to watch Stella walk away from him. He smiled when she turned to give him once last look before following the others to the boat slip. He took that small action as encouragement; his chances of securing her affection were not altogether ruined as he'd originally feared. He allowed his heart to do a little jig before turning his mind towards more pressing concerns.

He headed for the dilapidated housing district that had been used by the army and later coast guard but had since fallen into disrepair. They were slated to be torn down later that month but for now they seemed the likeliest place for a hideout as the buildings were on the section of the island that was closed to the public. There was little doubt in his mind that the culprit could be found there, if he was to be found anywhere on the island.

When Mac approached the larger of the two barracks, he caught sight of a flashlight beam coming from inside the building. He turned off his own flashlight so he wouldn't draw unwanted attention to himself. While he had left the rest of his kit in the car back on the mainland, he felt naked without the weight of his flashlight in the pocket of his pants. He also felt undressed without the presence of a firearm which he pulled from his ankle holster.

He called Flack to let him know his location and to bring back up before making his way to the door of the building. There was only a quarter moon out but it was enough to guide his steps while his military training did the rest. He did wish he had a pair of night vision goggles though but he was only doing reconnaissance until Flack arrived.

Whereas he could still see the light, he couldn't make out who was holding the flashlight. He moved to the other side of the door hoping to get a better vantage point. A sound from behind him caught his attention making him turn around but he was knocked unconscious by a blow to the head.

He wasn't sure how long he'd been out but was startled awake by the sound of an explosion. If the slight tremble of the ground was any indication he was close enough to the source to feel the earth complain at the assault but he was protected by a structure of some sort. Mac lay perfectly still trying to analyze his surrounding; listening to the sounds around him before he dare open his eyes.

"You stupid son of a…" a loud voice spoke nearby. Footsteps approached his position so he continued to play dead.

"What else was I supposed to do? He was stickin' his nose where it don't belong." Another voice asked, it was in possession of a country accent similar to that of Kenny, his military compatriot who came from the southwestern mountains of Virginia. Mac had to assume this man was from somewhere similar though there were subtle differences.

"You could have gotten the hell out of there like I told you to do." The gruff voice barked at his companion. "Now we're going to have the whole island looking for us." The first man argued also sounding southern though possessed a decidedly heavier accent if more refined.

"They'll be all over that heap 'a junk up north. By the time they're done siftin' through the ashes we'll be long gone with the treasure." The hillbilly shot back. Mac was beginning to get an idea of what was going on and suspected Diamond's death was somehow related, though it was just a hunch.

"Shut up, Moron, this guy's probably a cop." The first snapped.

"Nah, he's dead or somethin'. Look how much blood is comin' outta his head." The hillbilly returned sounding almost remorseful.

"You hit him on the head with your gun, you idiot, of course it's going to bleed. Check him for a pulse." Mr. Gruff ordered. Mac heard a shuffling sound moving away from him.

"You check him. I don't wanna touch no dead body." Hillbilly refused.

"You dragged him here, Lenny, you touched him then. What's the big deal now?" Mr. Gruff demanded.

"I didn't think I hit him hard enough to kill him. I couldn't see how bad he looked until I got him back here." Lenny, the hillbilly, replied sounding really upset by the prospect.

Mac heard approaching footsteps and decided to change his tactics from playing dead to pretending to be coming around. He hoped his acting skills wouldn't embarrass his Hollywood doppelganger too much. Someone leaned over him to feel for his pulse and Mac moaned making it seem like he was just coming around. He couldn't deny the fact that his head felt like it had been stuck in a drum during the finale of the William Tell overture however.

"He's faking it, Lenny." The gruff one told his partner in crime.

Mac opened his eyes seeing two rugged faces looking back at him when his vision cleared sufficiently. He assumed Mr. Gruff, still unnamed at this point, was the one glaring down at him from roughly five feet eleven inches above him as he stretched to his whole height. Lenny, the hillbilly towered over them both easily reaching close to seven feet tall. While Lenny was dressed in blue jeans and a dark t-shirt, Mr. Gruff was dressed in black to draw little attention to himself in the dark.

"How long have you been playing with us, Mister?" Mr. Gruff wanted to know.

"Your arguing disturbed my nap." Mac lied as he sat up wiping away the blood that threatened to run down into his eye. He didn't think the bone of his forehead was broken but he would likely need stitches over his left eye.

"I didn't mean to hit you so hard, Mister!" Lenny apologized, sounding genuine.

"You idiot, don't apologize to him!" Mr. Gruff insisted.

"Ah, come on, George! I was just trying to be nice." Lenny informed his shorter and surlier companion.

"A courteous bad guy, what is this world coming to?" George asked sarcastically.

"I'm not bad, George!" Lenny shot back angrily. The bigger man was apparently all brawn which left George the obvious choice for the brains. Mac was reminded of a book he'd been required to read in high school: 'Of Mice and Men' whose protagonists also shared the same names as his two captors.

"Either one of you fans of Steinbeck?" Mac posed the question. If the situation might have been different he may have laughed at the similarities, coincidence or not.

"What's a stein beck?" Lenny wanted to know.

"Steinbeck is an author, Lenny, you wouldn't know him." George explained. "Now quit talking and get to work. That hole isn't going to dig itself and we have a time limit now thanks to your stupidity." George ordered pointing to a large pile of dirt on the ground. Lenny did as he was told and crawled back into hole, that was already fairly deep.

"John Steinbeck wrote a book, well several really, but the one I was referring to focuses on two guys named George and Lenny. So you can see how I might think the two of you took your alias' from the book." Mac pointed out looking around for an escape route.

"Alias? Is that like those pretend names they use in movies?" Lenny asked as he dug.

"Shut Up, Lenny, just ignore the tux." George demanded proving to Mac that he was on the right track.

"Yes, Lenny, an alias is a fake name like the ones they use in the movies." Mac explained taking George's own advice and ignoring him.

"I didn't take nothin' from no book, Mister. My real name is Lenny. Mama said I was named after her pappy, Lenard. Your name is really George, isn't it George? You told me your name was George." Lenny couldn't help voicing the doubts Mac had given him.

"Why wouldn't it be? I said it was. I told you the suit is just messing with your head. Don't listen to him, Lenny." George reiterated his original statement but the glares he shot Mac confirmed the fact that his name at least was borrowed. "Get back to work, Lenny, so we can get out of here." He insisted.

"See, Lenny, the reason why I mention it is because the book didn't turn out so good for the guy in the story named Lenny. It makes me wonder if this little adventure of yours is going to turn out any better than that story did. So, George, tell me if you already killed one of your conspirators then what's going to happen to Lenny here?" Mac asked curiously.

"You said no one was going to get hurt, George!" Lenny exclaimed better at keeping up with the conversation than his literary counterpart. Mac had to assume that the big guy was more uneducated than truly stupid.

"I told you, Lenny, he's just messing with you. Shut up and dig!" George barked at his partner before mouthing a harsher threat to Mac.

"Why'd you kill Diamond, George?" Mac asked ignoring the silent warning. "Did she start asking too many questions or maybe she just wanted a larger share for herself?" Mac pressed the issue.

"You killed Diamond, George?" Lenny wanted to know.

"You couldn't just leave well enough alone you bastard." George shouted lunging at Mac before Lenny could scramble out of the hole after him. "I told you to keep your mouth shut!" He fumed as he hauled Mac to his feet and punched him in the face. Mac fell onto his back loosing his balance on the uneven ground. The impact didn't help his aching head any more than the extra pain coming from his jaw did. It would be sore for a while but he didn't think anything there was broken either. George reached down for Mac again but Lenny came up behind his companion and grabbed him around the middle lifting the smaller man off the ground.

"Leave him alone, George! You promised me no one was going to get hurt." Lenny enjoined.

"Let me go you stupid ox! Moron, I said let me go!" George flailed about trying to break free of the bigger man's grasp but Lenny just tightened his hold even more. Mac saw George begin to struggle to breathe until he stopped moving all together.

"Lenny, I know you don't want to hurt anyone so you have to let him go now." Mac counseled the hillbilly.

"But he'll hurt you," Lenny challenged. Mac shook his head judging the other man was unconscious by now.

"No he won't, Lenny, please just let him go." Mac requested. The other man dropped his captive, who fell in a motionless heap on the ground, and backed away.

"I didn't kill him did I?" Lenny asked uncertainly. Mac moved to feel for a pulse and shook his head. George might suffer a few broken ribs but he would live long enough to be put on trial for the death of the mayor's niece.

"No, Lenny, you didn't kill him. He might wish he were dead but he'll live. I don't suppose you have a key to these?" Mac asked holding his hands out to the gentle giant. Lenny shook his head and reached down to grab the chain hauling Mac to his feet in one swift movement.

"I'm really sorry, Mister. I guess I don't know my own strength sometimes. I didn't mean to hit you so hard." Lenny apologized again as he handed Mac a handkerchief. Mac accepted it gratefully to wipe away the mostly dried blood.

"Its okay, Lenny." Mac accepted the other man's apology as generously as it was given. "How did you come to work for George?" he wanted to know looking around the room to record the scene. Lenny didn't answer him and when Mac looked back the other man was holding a gun on him. Mac held out his hands in surrender. "Lenny?" Mac questioned hoping he hadn't misjudged the man.

"This one's yours; I picked it up before I carried you back here. It fell out of your hand when I hit you on the head." Lenny explained pointing it barrel first at Mac though obviously not intentionally threatening. Mac carefully took the gun that was offered and sighed in relief that it didn't discharge accidentally.

"Thank you, Lenny." Mac replied sticking it back into his ankle holster with great difficulty. "Did George not to show you how to use a handgun when he gave you one?" Mac assumed from the way the other man handled his side arm. Lenny shook his head as he bent down to pick up the one George had dropped in the struggle.

"Are you really a cop like George said?" Lenny wondered as he handed Mac the other weapon, a little safer that time.

"Yes, Lenny, my name is Mac Taylor. I'm a detective with the New York crime unit." Mac told the taller man.

"Mine's Lenny Mullins, and no I never did learn how to use one of them hand guns. Pa tried teachin' me to use a shotgun but he only let me use one if he was around and only for shootin' vittles not folks." Lenny explained. "Am I gonna be in trouble, Detective, sir?" he asked in concern.

"You'll have to come with me and answer some questions, Lenny, but I don't think you'll serve any time. Do you have any family back home?" Mac asked as he headed for the exit with Lenny hot on his heels.

"Pa died two springs ago and Mama died when I was just a youngin'. The bank kicked me off the homestead after Pa was gone. If something ever happened to the farm Pa told me to come to find work in the city after he was gone. It's a lot harder than he made it sound. No body wants to hire a guy like me on accoun'na the fact I don't got no schoolin'. Mama tried ta teach me afore she died but we didn't get fer. The school sent me home sayin' I was too slow to learn stuff. Mama said it wasn't that I was stupid it just took me longer to get the hang a things, but once I got somethin' it's got." Lenny explained. Mac tried to listen but his already aching head was making it hard to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other let alone trying to listen to his traveling companion.

Mac had to assume that Lenny hadn't found anyone willing to listen to him in a long time. Maybe George was the first guy to actually appear interested in him since his father died. That made sense as the city wasn't the friendliest place to people like Lenny though the country wasn't either apparently.

When they finally reached the outside Mac had to stop and catch his breath. The mild concussion he got from being pistol whipped didn't help matters. His vision was blurry as well but he could see that back up had yet to arrive. As Lenny had pointed out though their attention was directed at the building that had been used as a decoy.

Mac had to assume that he ended up at Castle Williams, a battery house built to protect New York Harbor during the war of 1812. If Mac knew his history right the place was used as a holding cell for confederate soldiers during the Civil War as well. That accounted for the fact that Lenny and George had used old leg irons to secure his hands instead of handcuffs.

Unable to find his cell phone and doubting that Lenny had one either Mac discharged the gun he'd taken off George into the ground nearby. Hopefully Flack, or anyone else in close proximity, would be alerted to Mac's position. He unloaded the weapon and removed the magazine clip before wrapping both in a handkerchief to preserve any other evidence he hadn't already disturbed. Mac headed for the remnants of the burning rubble in the distance and towards moving flashlights which appeared to be traveling in their direction.

"These are friends of mine, Lenny." Mac explained to the other man.

"NYPD, Freeze!" A voice called out to them though Mac couldn't recognize it from that distance.

"I'm Detective Mac Taylor. I'm in charge of the crime lab. This man is in my custody." Mac informed the barer of the voice.

"Mac?" The same voice exclaimed but this time he recognized it as Flack's.

"Yeah, Don, it's me." Mac called back holding up his hand to block the beam of light that shone brightly in his eyes.

"Mac behind you!" Another voice he thought might be Stella's shouted, though hopefully she was long gone by now. A second beam of light was directed towards the castle and Mac had just enough time to turn towards it before another shot rang out.

Mac ducked but realized he wasn't the intended target as Lenny fell to the ground obviously struck by the bullet. He moved to retrieve his gun from its holster as there wasn't time to reload the other weapon in his possession. He didn't even have time to point let alone shoot as he was struck in the leg and fell to the ground as well.

A horrendous pain shot through his right leg making his already blurry vision darken completely. He squeezed his eyes shut and tried to control the urge to cry out but a groan slipped through his barriers anyway. He heard footsteps moving towards him and forced his eyes open looking around to confirm his fear; that it really was Stella's voice that he heard.

"Mac!" Stella exclaimed her voice drawing closer but the sound of another click alerted him to the fact that George was now aiming his weapon at Stella. Mac couldn't let anything happen to her so he lifted the gun in his own shaky hand and fired at the suspect but missed.

"NYPD, Drop your weapon!" Stella called out addressing George. Realizing Mac had missed his intended target, George recovered and aimed his weapon at Stella once more but before he had a chance to fire Mac aimed his gun again and this time hit what he was aiming at. So did two more rounds before George dropped to the ground; hopefully for good, Mac thought as the gun slipped from his grasp and his vision began to blur again.

"Oh, God, Mac!" Stella cried dropping to her knees beside him. Mac thought she looked like an angel with the ring of light around her but then there was a ring of light around everything of what he could see. "Flack, get that chopper over here now." Stella demanded and he could hear Flack shouting into the radio.

"Lenny! Stella, check on Lenny please." Mac pleaded with her as she lifted his head and placed it onto her lap.

"Don't worry about it, Mac, he's not going anywhere." Stella coaxed but Mac shook his head and lifted a shaky hand in the direction where Lenny lay not far from them

"No, Stella, you've got to…" Mac began

"This one's alive, I got a pulse." Flack said from nearby. Mac guessed that Don was talking about Lenny and he sighed in relief allowing his body to give into the need to rest.

"Stay with me, Mac! Please, don't you die on me as well." He heard Stella pleading with him as for the second time that evening he slipped into unconsciousness.


	20. Chapter 20: One Door Closes

AN: Please don't forget to vote in the poll on my profile page if you haven't done so already even if you're not from America. And please don't forget to read both chapters, nineteen and twenty.

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Chapter Twenty: One Door Closes, Another Opens

If life was a collection of moments then Stella couldn't help reliving one small handful of them over and over again. The panic she felt when the building towards which Mac had headed exploded into smithereens; the rush of relief when she heard his voice reaching out to her from the darkness; and finally the terror that gripped her chest as she felt the life blood draining from her beloved.

She now knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that she loved Mac Taylor. Even though she remembered a time in her life before Mac, she couldn't imagine her life without him in the future. The thought of having to live without him was too painful to contemplate. She didn't want to think about that. Stella only wanted to think about one thing, having Mac next to her once more. If she closed her eyes she could still see him clearly, sitting at his desk at the office, yet another reason she couldn't bring herself to go to work.

It wouldn't be the same without Mac; and, though separated by concrete and steel, she wanted to be near him even if the closest she could get was sitting in the hospital waiting room. She would wait as long as it took. The hospital staff had taken Mac straight from the helipad into surgery. The only thing she could do was pass the time until the operation was finished.

She refused to give into the doubts plaguing her mind at every turn. Thoughts that said she would never again see Mac alive. She tried desperately to hold onto what little hope she had left. She refused to give into fear, at least that's what she told herself but every time the doors opened that little bit of hope she struggled to hold onto slipped a little bit further from her grasp.

At first she and Flack were the only two at the hospital waiting for word on Mac's condition. Flack had little more patience than she did or perhaps it was because he needed to be doing something to take his mind off the unknown that he went to interview their chief witness, who was also a suspect.

The man, Mac had called Lenny, was only superficially wounded and had regained consciousness in the helicopter. Stella couldn't help feeling sorry for the man who was guilty of little more than making friends with the wrong people. Lenny kept apologizing to Mac's prone form as well as to Stella and Flack. The gentle giant was as much a victim of circumstances as she had been all those years ago but without the benefit of a guardian angel to see he didn't get into trouble.

Lenny had been so remorseful for being the cause of the bloody gash on Mac's forehead that Stella couldn't bring herself to be mad at him. He had tried to explain things during their flight to the hospital but neither she nor Flack had the patience at the time to bother taking his statement. She was certain the only reason Don went to talk with him now was because he hated the uncertainty as much as she did.

She heard doors open and looked up only to find it was just another nurse going about her business. Stella kept hoping and praying it was the surgeon with news whenever she heard that telltale whoosh of the doors. It hadn't been that long since she had given up pacing for sitting but even that was becoming tiring. A hand alighted on her shoulder causing her to jump.

"I'm sorry, Stella, I didn't mean to startle you." Sid apologized. At the sound of his voice the tears she had been valiantly trying to restrain escaped her custody and ran down her face in a flood. He maneuvered around the bench where she had taken refuge and sat beside her enveloping her in a warm embrace.

"I…wuv…him…Sib. Gob, hep be bu' I wuv hib." Stella confessed around the sobs, her sinuses filling with congestion in what seemed like seconds making her sound rather childish to her own ears. She rubbed angrily at her eyes as if that could stem the tide. Sid just patted her back and held on, calming her with his presence. "There was so much blood!" She sniffed at last able to string a sentence together without sounding like a balling five year old.

"It's going to be alright, Stella. You'll see, he's a fighter and he's recovered from far worse than this before. I know he'll pull through this. He'll be back at the office in no time I'm sure." Sid assured her though the crack in his voice told her he was having as much trouble believing it as she was.

Their attention was drawn towards the door once more but it was only the rest of the team – sans Sheldon – coming to check on the health of their stalwart leader. Lindsey took Sid's place giving Stella a hug as well while Sid went to stand with the guys. Flack wasn't far behind with his arm around Angel both comforting and being comforted by his fiancé.

They all sat or stood around holding vigil for a man they all cared for deeply. The next time the doors opened, it was Sheldon who finally joined them. He came from the opposite direction and he was wearing scrubs looking as though he'd just come from the operating room.

"He's going to be just fine." He gave them the answer they had been waiting to hear, alleviating their concerns. Sighs of relief were quite audible and Stella moved to meet him halfway; the others gathering around them only seconds later.

"Sheldon how…? Why are you here?" She wanted to know.

"I rushed over as soon as the news about Mac came through the radio. The surgeon is a friend of mine and he let me sit in on Mac's surgery." Sheldon explained.

"How is he? Can we see him?" Danny asked what Stella was too afraid to ask. Sheldon shook his head disappointing all of them.

"He's gong to be out for a while and he has to remain as immobile as possible. The bullet came too close to severing the femoral artery. Another inch in the other direction and Mac would have bled out in the helicopter. Like I said I'm good friends with the surgeon that was on call tonight and Dr. Stevens is one of the best there is. He wants to keep Mac sedated for the time being so he doesn't move around too much. Mac was asking for you, Stella, when he came in so the doctor made a note in his chart for you to be allowed to sit with him but that's it for now I'm afraid." Sheldon disclosed.

"Can I…?" Sid started to ask.

"For a few minutes once they get him moved into a room," Sheldon nodded before disappearing back behind the double doors.

"I knew he'd be okay! I mean this is Mac we're talking about, right? He's like Superman or something." Danny spoke up but he looked just as relieved as everyone else.

With all eyes on him Danny blushed and walked away but not before Stella noticed the moisture in his eyes. Lindsey smiled at them apologetically and went to comfort her husband. Flack and Angel were also showing their relief by hugging each other tightly. Stella decided it was time to take command though she knew the voice they all wanted to hear wasn't hers.

"Hey guys why don't you all go home and get some sleep. It's been a long night. We can try to figure out what happened in the morning." She asserted her authority.

"It is morning," Sid made known.

"I got four more hours before my shift starts," Danny piped up rejoining the fold under the guidance of his wife.

"I'll call Meyers and let him know none of us will be in until later. He and the back up team can handle things until we get there." Stella temporarily relieved them of their responsibilities.

"What about you, Stella? You need your rest as well." Lindsey charged.

"I had a nap this afternoon. I'll be fine for a few hours yet. I can ask for a cot or something if I get tired." She replied. No one said anything for the longest time but stood around looking at each other as though communicating silently. Lindsey was the first to make a move, giving Stella a hug.

"You call us if anything changes, okay?" Lindsey requested. Stella smiled and nodded her head.

"I will, give Lucy a hug for me." Stella exhorted. Lindsey nodded her head offering a watery smile. "Take your wife home, Danny; she needs to see her daughter." Stella implored Danny as she pulled him into an embrace while Lindsey hugged the other members of their eclectic family.

Similar sentiments were passed around as everyone else said their good-byes as well and she promised to call all of them when Mac woke up. After saying her last farewell, Stella hugged her arms to herself moving to stare out the window. Once the final voice faded away she saw Sid's reflection come up behind her. She turned towards him giving him her own watery smile.

"He's going to be okay, Stella. Sheldon wouldn't lie to us. He knows how important Mac is to all of us because he shares our concerns." Sid assured her drawing her into a hug.

"I know, Sid, I'm just so…" She sighed but couldn't finish, the words wouldn't come. She hugged him back instead.

"You want me to stay with you for a while?" Sid questioned but she shook her head.

"No, I'll be alright." She promised. Sid nodded and kissed her forehead again before releasing her. He motioned back towards the door Sheldon had disappeared through earlier.

"I'm going to go check on Mac before I head home myself." Sid informed her. Stella just nodded absently and turned back to stare vacantly out the window once again. "Stella, are you sure you're going to be alright?" Sid asked, concern evident in his voice.

"Yeah, Sid, I'm fine." She assured him. He gave her shoulder one last squeeze before leaving her alone.

She allowed her gaze to wander looking at nothing in particular. How could she find the words to explain how she felt? Her mind raced; little thoughts that didn't seem to matter filled her head. She was left feeling a bit numb, as though all of this was happening to someone else. The one person she wanted to hear assurances from the most was the one person who couldn't offer them at the moment.

She wasn't sure how long she had stood motionless at the window looking out at the cityscape below. The sun was just filtering through the phallic symbols of the greedy men who built towering monuments in the hopes of gaining immortality. She was forced to turn away at last when the light became too bright for her eyes. She was surprised to find Sheldon watching her from a few feet away.

"I wasn't sure if I should say anything, not that I could offer any words you want to hear right now." Sheldon was the first to speak.

"Did something happen?" Stella panicked at the thought that Mac's condition had worsened. Sheldon relieved her concern with a shake of his head.

"No, no Mac's just fine. It's you I'm worried about, Stella. Sid told me you just kind of shut down on him." Sheldon informed her. Stella shrugged her shoulders not knowing what to say. "Stell, I know you. Tell me what's wrong." He implored her to confide in him.

"Mac's my benefactor, Sheldon." Stella confessed. He looked at her in surprise.

"That's great! You finally found him." Sheldon enthused. "That's good isn't it, Stella?" He asked curiously.

"Yeah, I guess. I just can't help worrying." She admitted.

"About what?" He wanted to know.

"Everything, anything, I don't know." She exclaimed a little too loudly. The small handful of other people also waiting for various reasons of their own threw curious looks in their direction.

"Come on, Stella. I'll take you to the doctor's lounge and buy you a decent cup of coffee." Sheldon offered. She nodded and allowed herself to be guided towards the place normally reserved for medical staff.

The room was similar to their own break room at the office only, in addition to the couch, there were a few cots there as well. Sheldon poured her a cup of coffee and fixed it the way she liked it before handing it to her as he led the way to a nearby table.

"Thanks, Sheldon," Stella said gratefully. She sipped on the hot beverage for a while letting the refreshing heat put life back into her veins.

"You're welcome. Feeling better?" He inquired. She nodded her head before resting it in one hand. She suddenly felt wearier than she had admitted to earlier. "Tired?" Sheldon asked and she nodded her head again. "The adrenalin is probably wearing off. We've all had a very stressful night." He proposed.

"Yeah I feel like I've been riding a roller coaster all day long." She agreed.

"How long have you known that Mac was your benefactor?" Sheldon wanted to know.

"Since this morning… well I guess yesterday morning now." She confided in him before backing up a day and a half and filling him in on what happened since they parted ways in the park Sunday afternoon. When she was finished Sheldon sat in stunned silence trying to take it all in.

"All I can say is wow! I guess you've been on an emotional roller coaster for longer than a few hours. No wonder you look like you're about to pass out. Why don't you lay down on one of these beds and try to get some sleep!" Sheldon suggested. Stella shook her head and finished her nearly cold coffee.

"Somebody should sit with Mac." She declared.

"I can sit with him until you've gotten enough rest. I had planned to stay for a few more hours anyway." He offered.

"I need to be with him, Sheldon." She replied shaking her head.

"Alright, then if I can't talk you out of it the least I can do is show you to his room." Sheldon volunteered standing to his feet. She nodded her head in acceptance as he held out his hand to help her upright. "Come here a minute." He told her pulling her into a hug. "I'm glad you changed your mind about Mac, Stella. You know when I first met him I thought he'd be perfect for you… that is until I found out he was already married." He divulged.

"And now?" She asked curiously.

"Now I think he's the only man I could give my blessing to, not that he needs my permission to marry you." Sheldon expressed making her look up at him in surprise.

"I think it's a bit too soon for that, Sheldon." She protested.

"No its not, Stella. I knew the second I saw you standing in the middle of the quad looking like a lost puppy that we'd be lifelong friends; actually more like I'd never be rid of you if our paths happened to cross." He laughed as she punched him in the arm. "I'm very glad we met now of course but that was before I knew how hopeless a case you really are." He added to the list of his already mounting offences causing her to glare at him. "Seriously though, Stella, whether it's a day, a week, or a year when you meet the right one you'll just know it. You do know it, don't you?" Sheldon asked curiously.

"I thought that about my ex-boyfriend though too." She argued.

"Didn't you feel any of those warning bells going off in your head?" He correctly presumed.

"I guess but I was so caught up in the moment that I didn't listen," She admitted.

"You don't have those with Mac though, am I right?" He hit the mark again.

"Well he is dangerous to my sanity… but no I guess not." She claimed feeling a bit better after getting the chance to talk to someone who understood her.

"I know that Mac is always saying to use your head not your heart but I think in rare instances like this it's better to listen to a bit of both." Sheldon gave her a reassuring smile. She returned his smile and kissed his cheek to thank him for all the times he'd been there for her though the debt could never be repaid.

He escorted her through the hallways towards Mac's room and Stella realized that Papakota had been correct when he said she was lucky. It just took something like this to make her realize how lucky she really was. No more than just luck she had been truly blessed. She might have lost the only family she had ever known that night thirty-eight years ago but she gained so much more in the years that followed.

While she had lost one parent she had gained a father figure in Papakota. Sheldon, Don, and now Danny were like her brothers. Angel and Lindsey were like the sisters she'd always had but hadn't yet met. Sid was already on his way to being a best friend and confidant, though sometimes he also had a paternal role to play. At the heart of it all was Mac who seemed to pull people towards him with his quite strength and steadfastness. Out of two horrible tragedies that happened on that night in 1972 God had made something good come out of them when he brought two perfect strangers together.

"When one door closes, Stella, God finds a way to open another." Sister Eunice used to tell her. "While it might not be where you expected to end up, it might just be the path you needed to follow to lead you where he wanted you to go." The woman's wise words still rang in her head after all those years. She couldn't remember how she got there but she found herself standing in front a door at that exact instant all she had to do was step through.


	21. Chapter 21: A Healing Sleep

AN: For those of you who guess Forrest Gump in answer to the question in the last chapter I'm sorry to disappoint you. Guess again, you'll get it eventually. Not much else to say except don't forget to vote and please read both twenty-one and twenty-two. If you haven't yet read nineteen and twenty please go back and read them. I noticed a lot of you skipped over chapter twelve when I publish it and thirteen at the same time. That why I decided to warn you from that point on. As always I hope you enjoy the story. I'm drawing it to a close, so in the next few chapters all the answers will be revealed. TTFN! VaniDot

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter Twenty-one

His normally well ordered mind failed him at the moment. He couldn't think let alone make sense of anything around him. His body felt as heavy as his mind and the pain in his right leg was growing steadily worse.

"I love you, Mac Taylor," Stella's voice cut through the haze setting everything to rights again. A sense of tranquility washed over him and he drifted off into a peaceful night's sleep. "You have to get well. I'll take care of everything else so you don't have to worry, just get better please!" He heard her say just as unconsciousness enveloped him. It reminded him of what he'd told her all those years ago.

This time when he slept he didn't have nightmares as he had so many times after, first losing his men then too when Claire had died. He dreamed of a future in which Stella was his wife and they had been blessed by four beautiful children. Mac almost didn't want to wake up from that wonderful vision. As all things were wont to do, however, the dream faded and he became aware of external noises.

He heard voices, one he thought might have been Sheldon's, talking around him. He felt the tubes being removed from his esophagus, making him gag. His throat hurt as though he had laryngitis.

"Stella," He croaked.

"Mac, don't try to talk." Sheldon urged him.

"Stella, is she…" He began after clearing his throat.

"I'm right here, Mac." He heard the voice of an angel speak to him through the drug induced stupor which was just beginning to fade. He tried opening his eyes but they refused to stay open. He felt his arm being lifted off the bed but he couldn't feel his hand at all.

"Lenny?" He asked. He started to feel a little less weighted down by concrete, both mentally and physically.

"He's fine, Mac. Flack set him up in a hotel room as a potential witness since the hospital refused to keep him any longer than was absolutely necessary." Stella assured him. He tried opening his eyes again, blinking because he was unaccustomed to the bright lights. He was grateful when he managed to keep them open, for a few minutes at least.

"You had all of us worried there, Mac." Sheldon told him.

"This is what you get for not listening to me and, yes, that is an 'I told you so'!" Stella squeezed his hand tight enough for him to feel it that time.

"I guess I deserved that. Can I have some water, please?" He asked. Stella fulfilled his request, letting him sip some water through a straw batting his hand away when he tried to take the cup from her.

"I am capable of doing it myself," He told her hoarsely when he'd had enough to drink.

"Better get used to it, Mac. Dr. Stevens isn't going to let you out of the hospital unless you have someone at home who is willing to take care of you." Sheldon warned.

Mac's eyes stayed closed when he tried to roll them out of frustration. It seemed that his sentence of incapacity ordered by the doctor was to be enforced by someone in his close circle of friends. He tried to think of someone on the team with skeletons in their closet that he could use to blackmail them in case he needed an escape route. He had learned to play politics very well over the years though he still disliked the game.

"How do you feel?" Sheldon asked curiously.

"Horrible. Do I look as bad as I feel?" Mac admitted truthfully.

"Yeah you look pretty bad, Mac, though I'm sure you feel a lot worse." Sheldon told him. Mac tried lifting his arm to scratch at the gash on his forehead but Stella pulled his hand away.

"Don't do that!" She scolded him.

"It itches," He complained.

"That means it's healing," She shot back.

"Oh, yeah, like I ever believed that when I was growing up." He responded belligerently, his words coming out less slurred than before.

"Let me take a look at that." Sheldon offered coming to the side of his bed. Mac cracked one eye open to look up at him.

"Having you tend to my wounds is almost as terrifying as having Sid doctor me. I already have nightmares about him cutting me up alive in autopsy." Mac informed him. Sheldon had the audacity to laugh; he must have thought Mac was merely joking but he was dead serious. Mac hissed as Sheldon took the dressing off his forehead.

"The stitches are a bit red. Let me get something to clean them with." Sheldon offered throwing the bandage in the trash as he headed out the door.

"You scared all of us really badly with that stunt you pulled." Stella informed him when they were alone. He opened his eyes and looked up at her.

"How do you think I felt when I realized you hadn't left the island as I ordered you to do?" He admonished sternly.

"And what about you? If you think you can make me fall in love with you and still take these kinds of chances with your life, you've got another thing coming, Buster." She declared, letting her temper off the leash. She was so beautiful at that moment that he couldn't help but smile at her. "What?" She snapped at him.

"Feisty looks good on you." He relayed what he had been thinking, the drugs that were still in his system making him more vocal about things he would ordinarily keep to himself.

"Mac, I'm being serious. You can't take as many risks as you used to." She persisted.

"I was being serious, Stella. You're incredibly beautiful when you're angry." He maintained. His voice had grown hoarse again and she gave him another sip of water. "You said you loved me." He pointed out. She sighed as she returned the cup of water to the over-the-bed tray table.

"Did I?" I don't remember." She was obviously lying. "I'm still mad at you, you know!" She determined though she took his hand in hers as though needing the contact to assure her that he wasn't going anywhere.

"I didn't plan on getting myself into trouble, Stella." He began.

"It has a way of finding you then." She interjected looking at his chest instead of his face. He lifted a leaden hand to bring her eyes up to meet his

"I had every intention of waiting for backup after I called Don. I was only going to do a bit of reconnaissance but I didn't know about Lenny." He told her. "We're both cops, Stella. We put our lives on the line every time we go out on a call. Being part of the crime lab doesn't spare us from danger, in some instances it can be even more dangerous considering the hazardous materials we use. You know that as well as any of us do. I can't stop being a policeman anymore than I would expect you to quit. We both love our jobs too much, not that you would do what I ask anyway." He chuckled trying to lighten the mood. "Danger is as much a part of our job as the honor and integrity we try to uphold." He added.

"I know I just… I can't lose you, Mac." She confessed with tears in her eyes. He cupped his hand around her neck and pulled her towards him. That was the only inducement she needed to lean the rest of the way into his silent request for a kiss. It was something he felt they both needed at the moment.

"I'm not going anywhere I can't take you with me, Stella." He promised brushing a lock of her curly hair out of her face. There was a slight blush that rose to her cheeks as she gave him a smile at last then kissed him again.

"Hey, none of that now you two." Sheldon ordered returning to the room. "Or I'll make Sid change your dressing." He warned when Stella was recalcitrant to give up her spot. She quickly retreated to the other side of the bed, taking Mac's hand in hers once more.

"What about me?" Sid wanted to know coming into the room at the right time.

"Nothing, Sid," Mac replied.

"The thought of you treating his wounds gives Mac nightmares." Sheldon revealed causing Mac to glare at him.

"You know if this was a military outfit I could have you court-martialed for insubordination, Dr. Hawkes." Mac pointed out.

"Yeah well, even in the military a doctor has to power to relieve a commanding officer of duty if he feels it's in the best interests of the unit." Sheldon shot back not the least bit phased by Mac's threat. Mac tried to laugh but the movement pained him greatly. "Need more pain medication?" the good doctor wondered noticing his plight as Mac had to grip the bed sheets in desperation. As the pain began to ease he realized he had also been squeezing the life out of Stella's hand. He released his hold of her and gave her an apologetic smile.

"Sorry, Stella." He expressed his regret.

"Its okay, Mac." She assured him patting his arm with her other hand as she took hold of his hand again. He was diligent to be more careful that time.

"Okay Mac, I just gave you a dose of meds but it might take some time to kick in." Sheldon informed him as he set to work cleaning the cut above his eye.

Mac just nodded his head and bit back the pain as Sheldon messed with the stitches. He wasn't sure which was worse the pain or the incessant itch and Mac grabbed the sheets again to keep himself from trying to scratch at it. He'd always hated having to get stitches when he was younger because the itch drove him insane.

"No wonder you're in so much misery!" Sheldon exclaimed cutting the threads loose and pulling them out. Mac bit his lip and squeezed his eyes shut as his level of pain tolerance crashed through the floor. "Mac, why didn't you tell anyone you were allergic to this type of thread?" Sheldon insisted.

"Cause I didn't know I was. Is that why the itch is so intense?" Mac asked through clenched teeth.

"From what I can see, that's the only reasonable explanation. I'm sorry I can't give you anything for the itch but hopefully once I've removed the source of the irritation it will disappear on its own. Stella's right the healing process does irritate but not to the extreme it seemed to be for you. I'll irrigate the wound tracks to remove any stray fibers and see if that doesn't help, though it will probably sting a little." Sheldon explained the process to prepare Mac for the upcoming torture. He winced when the saline solution touched the raw flesh but the pain was a welcome relief compared to that irrational irritation. Mac sighed in relief and relaxed a little when the last of the allergen was gone.

"Sheldon, what about the stitches down there?" Stella wanted to know. Mac panicked a little when he noticed her glance below his waist.

"I thought I was shot in the leg!" he exclaimed out of concern. Sheldon chuckled and shook his head.

"You were, don't worry, Mac, you didn't loose anything important." Sheldon assured him. "To answer you're question, Stella, they used a different kind of thread, one that dissolves over time. They packed collagen in the section of wound closest to the artery to help speed the healing process. You're not feeling the stitches in your leg are you, Mac?" Sheldon addressed the last to him.

"I'm not feeling much of anything below my waist, Sheldon." He responded.

"Don't worry it won't stay that way long. Dr. Stevens just wanted to make sure you wouldn't break the stitches loose by moving around a lot. He'll probably restore your mobility in the next few days but get used to being bed ridden until he's satisfied it's begun to heal properly. You know you were incredibly lucky, Mac." Sheldon observed.

"I'd say it was more divine intervention." Sid piped up though he'd been quietly sitting in a chair by the window doing a puzzle until that moment.

"I'll second that! He was definitely blessed." Stella added her vote.

"Second what?" Danny asked spilling into the room with the other missing members of the team making Mac's family complete. "What did I miss?" he wanted to know.

"Nothing, Danny," Mac assured him. "Hey guys," He greeted everyone until he noticed something was wrong. "Get in here, Adam." Mac called out to the youngest and newest member of their clan. The younger man poked his head in the door and Mac shook his head at the computer geek's uncertainty.

"Mac, hold still." Sheldon admonished trying to affix the last piece of tape to Mac's face.

"You look like crap." Don stated the obvious.

"That's an understatement." Danny pitched in. Mac exchanged a look with Stella who nodded in understanding. He watched as she went to pull the still recalcitrant Adam closer to the bed. Mac patted the younger man's hand when Adam put his hand out on the bed rail to steady himself. Adam offered a shy smile but Mac could see the relief evident in the younger man's eyes.

"Thanks for the vote of confidence guys," Mac told Don and Danny who he knew were only teasing him. He hoped for a day when Adam would feel free enough to joke with him like that.

"Okay, all done." Sheldon said cleaning up after himself. "Feeling better?" the doctor in him wondered.

"Yes, Sheldon, thank you very much." Mac voiced his gratefulness.

"I'll make a note in your chart about the reaction you had to the thread they used. Tomorrow I might try a bit of collagen on the wound but I thought you would appreciate nothing else on it for now." Sheldon explained before taking his supplies from the room. Mac lifted his hand to feel the bandage the former medical examiner had competently adhered atop the gash on his brow.

"Shell should have never left the medical profession." Don spoke up. "We need more doctor's with his bed side manner." He added.

"If you're in such a hurry to have him change professions then you can finger through the mountain of applications his absence would generate, to find me a replacement. You better be prepared to find me five good candidates." Mac warned.

"You mean I've been doing the work of five people all these years?" Sheldon asked returning to the room to take his place with the rest of the assorted mix of adopted family members. Mac found himself in possession of the hodgepodge collection of relatives, whether he wanted them or not, though he couldn't complain. They made his life fuller than it ever had been when his parents were alive.

"No, it means that you are so good at your job it would take five people to do half of what you seem to manage, only longer." Mac told Sheldon stifling a yawn.

"Okay time to leave," Sheldon announced to everyone's displeasure.

"Don't leave on my account." Mac voiced his own disappointment.

"Well if you feel up to it then I guess we can stay another fifteen minutes before I have to draw this party to a close… unless Mac falls asleep on us first." Sheldon allowed giving into peer pressure.

"How's my god daughter?" Mac inquired.

"She's fine," Lindsey assured him. "She was a little fussy this morning when we got home but she got to sleep eventually." She added.

"Babies are a bit like dogs in that they can sense your mood." He advised treading in dangerous waters. Lindsey didn't get mad at him though, instead she just smiled and nodded her head.

"I was a bit tired and irritable myself." She agreed.

"I'm sorry to make all of you worry last night." Mac apologized.

"Oh, come on, Mac, you'd do the same for anyone of us. What do you have to apologize for?" Don inquired.

"Because, I was recently informed that my presence on this earth actually matters to someone. I just wanted to let you guys know that your presence here means something to me as well." Mac told them. His admission met with stunned silence accompanied by a look of disbelief on everyone's faces.

"Wow, Doc, what kind of medicine did you give him?" Don asked after a few seconds.

"Must be the drugs," Danny agreed.

"Come on guys! I'm being serious." Mac insisted. Danny and Don both glanced at each other over his head.

"That's what we mean, Boss. For you to be getting all mushy on us now it's got to be the drugs talking." Danny grinned.

"Well I may not say it enough but I couldn't do this job without all of you." Mac confessed.

"Sure you could, Mac. You just wouldn't be as good." Stella told him. Mac smiled and shook his head.

"I think that means they appreciate the sentiment, Mac." Sid pointed out with a chuckle.

"So, Doc, Danny and I were going to sneak a little contraband in here but the box of pizza wouldn't fit under our coats. Lindsey wasn't too thrilled with the idea of us using the baby's diaper bag either, though I told her the diapers would soak up all the grease…" Don began.

"Forget Lindsey, I wouldn't be thrilled with the idea." Mac interjected scrunching up his nose at the mere thought.

"Anyway we wanted to know when you were going to let Mac out of here." Don questioned before breaking out into a grin. He was getting better at holding a straight face for a longer period of time.

"Not for a few more days yet. Dr. Stevens said if he shows progress by the weekend he might let Mac go home under strict bed rest." Sheldon revealed though he may as well have given Mac a death sentence: Mac hated sitting still much less having to stay off his feet for an extended period of time.

"I'll volunteer." Danny spoke up.

"For what?" Don wanted to know.

"Helping Mac out when he gets home." Danny explained getting curious glances from the others. "Well, he doesn't have anyone to look after him so I volunteer to lend a hand." He added.

"Yeah you just want a day off." Don stated making Danny begin to object until he realized the other man was just teasing.

"We all will. It won't be as difficult if we all pitch in together." Stella pointed out.

"I'm not changing his diapers," Don objected with a wink when Mac glared at him.

"That won't be necessary." Mac grumbled making everyone laugh. He couldn't help chuckling along with them.

They stayed and talked about anything and nothing in particular until Mac couldn't keep his eyes open any longer. He wasn't sure how long they'd been closed but he opened them again when he didn't hear the sound of talking.

"Where did everyone go?" He asked groggily when he noticed the room was empty. He heard rustling and Stella popped into view a few seconds later.

"They went back to work, Mac. Just get some rest." Stella urged offering an assuring smile.

"Did I doze off?" He wondered.

"Yeah, Sheldon kicked everyone out when you fell asleep. They promised to stop by and check on you later." Stella provided answers to his questions before he had a chance to ask them, as always. He nodded his head and let his eyes slip closed again until he realized something.

"Stella," He called, looking up at her. She turned back to look at him curiously. "I love you, too." He told her what he hadn't had a chance to say earlier. She smiled at him and bent over the edge of the railing to kiss him one last time before he succumbed to a dreamless slumber.


	22. Chapter 22: Finally Come Home

AN: Please don't forget to vote and don't forget to read chapter twenty-one as I just posted it seconds before posting this one. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoy! VaniDot

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter Twenty-two

Over the course of the next several days Stella and the team took turns visiting Mac in the hospital. While they were at work Sid's wife Mary stayed by Mac's side to keep an eye on him. Mainly for the team's sake than for Mac's who frequently protested their constant vigil.

Stella had finally gotten to meet Mary and was happy to have met her at last. Sid had been right in saying that Mary was accepting of Stella and she quickly found another friend and confidant. She also had the chance to meet the Hammerback's youngest daughter as the oldest was away at college. Annabelle, Belle to all her friends and family, was an average teenager but on the whole was a very sweet girl.

Stella was relieved that Mary was willing to stay at the hospital with Mac. That was one less thing she had to worry about allowing her to concentrate on wrapping up the case. Lindsey had filled in for her to help Angel track Diamond's steps.

Sid found both trace and biologicals on the body of the mayor's niece that matched the samples they took from the guy they only knew as George. Lenny had tried to be as helpful as he could, perhaps a bit too helpful but he meant well. After cross checking the information that Lenny had given them they could only assume George had lied about more than just his name. They were back to square one.

It wasn't until they found the hotel where George had been staying that they found out the truth. His real name, according to his driver's license, was John Randall of South Carolina. He was the direct descendant of an officer in the confederate army who stole a shipment of gold from the union army near the end of the war. In going through Randall's belongings they found letters the colonel had written back home to his family.

One such letter detailed the capture of Col. Randall's unit by Union soldiers and their subsequent imprisonment at Governor's Island. One of the letters informed his wife that should he die on the island she should suspect foul play. He went into detail about the warden of the island, a Major William Barrett, who wanted the gold for himself.

Major Barrett, as it turned out, was Diamond's ancestor. Stella could only assume Randall got close to the woman in order to find out more about her predecessor. Diamond's family had donated much of Major Barrett's belongings to a civil war museum. There was a photocopy of a letter written by Barrett in Randall's possession, however.

In the letter, Major Barrett told his brother about the gold and that he had buried it on the southern end of the island. He had sent his brother a map of the island showing where the gold was hidden in case he was killed before he had a chance to retrieve it himself. John Randall had used the map to try to find the gold that his great-great-grandfather had stolen.

Stella went back to the island to see if there really was gold buried underneath Castle Williams. When she compared the landmarks on the map to the remaining landmarks on the island she discovered an inconsistency. Either something had happened to the map or the photocopy of the map as Randall had been digging in the wrong place. While still on the southern end of the island, the map actually detailed the opposite side from where Randall was looking.

Stella ordered in some equipment to do a search of the surrounding area but discovered, much to everyone's disappointment, that there was nothing there. If there had been gold in that location at one time, it had long since been moved. The story, however, would be added to the history of the island.

With permission of the Barretts and since Randall was the last of his line all the pertinent documents were donated to the island's trust. The University's archeology department was very interested, especially as the map outlined buildings that were no longer standing. They would get years of research and study out that.

As to the living, Lenny wasn't formally charged with any crime though he was warned to be more careful of whom he befriended in the future. Mac called a friend of his who was a Vietnam veteran, owner a farm/ranch. Stella learned the man also happened to be the brother of a cop who was killed in the line of duty.

In memory of his brother, the man opened the family farm to retired police horses and police dogs after years of loyal service. When offered the opportunity, Lenny jumped at the chance to return the comforts of a farm like setting. It seemed to be a match made in heaven as Mac's friend said he was getting bored of talking only to animals.

Whether he realized it or not, people were naturally drawn to Mac. He couldn't be happy, of course, until he felt that they were looked after. He had become a guardian angel to more people than just Stella. She wasn't at all jealous as those same people had welcomed her into their family with open arms.

Mac's healing had progressed so that by the time the weekend rolled around, Dr. Stevens released him into Stella's care. When Sheldon called with the news she took off work early Friday afternoon to drive Mac home from the hospital. Mac wasn't the most cooperative patient though, not that she blamed him. She didn't like being left to the mercy of others either.

He really wasn't a happy camper by the time they got him back to his brownstone. The stairs leading up to his front door did him in as it was past due for his pain medicine. After the ordeal of trying to climb the four or five steps leading up to the front of the house Stella wasn't about to make him do the ones to the second floor.

She helped him stretch out on the couch in the living room before going to the kitchen to get a bottle of water for him to take the medication the doctor had prescribed. When she returned to the living room Mac's eyes were closed. She wasn't sure if he was asleep so she set the water down next to his prescription on the side table.

She went to fetch a quilt from the closet under the stairs. There were two of them on the top shelf, right were Mary said they would be. Stella brought the blanket back to the couch and softly shook it out. She spread it out over Mac, unintentionally making him jump.

"Sorry, Mac, I didn't mean to startle you. I've got your medicine right here." She told him as she sat down beside him. She helped him up so he could take one of his pills. He leaned heavily against her but she didn't mind. He stared at her looking a bit disoriented.

"Where are we?" He wanted to know.

"Your house, Mac. Don't you remember?" She asked feeling a bit concerned.

"Stella?" He asked uncertainly.

"Yes, Mac," She replied growing more worried until she remembered Sid warning her about something like this. The last time Mac had that type of pain pill he'd easily gotten disoriented. He shook his head and rubbed an eye with one hand trying to dispel the confusion.

"I guess I was dreaming. When did we get here? Is this the brownstone?" He asked looking around at his surroundings. "Yeah, I guess it is. Sorry, I was dreaming." He repeated himself as she gently guided him back against the couch once more.

"What were you dreaming about?" She wanted to know.

"The night my parents died." He said groggily.

"I'm sorry," She frowned down at him. He shook his head and peered at her through one eye which was only open at half mast.

"Don't be, it was the night we met." He told her with a lopsided smile.

"You saved my life," She returned the smile as the eye drifted closed. The rhythmic rise and fall of his chest told her he was already asleep again.

She went upstairs to make up his bed for later but found it was already made. She attributed it the fact that he had been in the military. There wasn't a thing out of place in his well ordered world. Why she thought his bedroom would be any different was beyond her. She shrugged her shoulders and got the bed ready for him so he could turn later that evening.

She didn't know what else to do so she walked through the bedrooms. She tried making as little noise as possible not wanting to disturb Mac. She didn't really have any goal in her wanderings but found herself in his treasure room once more. That was what came to mind when she thought of his old bedroom as it had been turned into a memorial of sorts.

While the rest of his house was devoid of family photos, they covered nearly every surface in that room along with all the trophies and medals he had won as a lad. She couldn't understand his reason for such segregation. If she'd had pictures of her family they would be in every room of her apartment. All she had were pictures of herself and friends, whose names she would have forgotten long ago if not for the scribbles on the backs of each photo.

She was fascinated by the things in that room even though she had run from the secrets it held the last time she'd been in there. She realized if she ever wanted to know her benefactor, the knowledge she sought was in that room. However, without context the pictures were just that: images of nameless faces.

She searched the room for the binder that held all of her letters but it was no longer there. After the initial disappointment wore off, she remembered Mac saying he normally kept them in his office downstairs. He had also mentioned something about his bedroom but she hadn't seen them out in the open and didn't feel right going through his personal belongings. She decided the office was her best bet after all.

She carefully made her way back downstairs and, after checking on Mac, went to search his home office for her letters. The space was decorated very much like his office at work except in place of the photos there were pictures of antique modes of transportation. Drawings of old trains, old airplanes, old boats, old hot air balloons, and even a few old cars set the tone for the travel theme which had been used to decorate the office. There were no knickknacks lying around to clutter up the place, not that she expected there to be any.

Unlike Mac's office at work, the style of furniture matched the look of the house with its Craftsman Era interior. There was an old glass front bookcase with a dark cherry stain, almost black from the years of use. It matched the desk and Stella could tell that they were authentic pieces of history rather than that modern distressed crap.

The shelves of the bookcases were filled with old reference material and law books. She noticed that there were a few technical manuals from their line of work as well. There were no novels on those shelves, though she had seen several different genres lining the shelves of the reading nook in the living room. That was very Mac, she realized, his books as compartmentalized as his life.

She had to wonder where she would fit into that. Would their relationship be anything more than an office romance gone bad? She couldn't help being concerned as she struggled to keep her personal life separate from work. While she had succeeded for the most part she had never quite learned how to keep her professional life outside her personal one. She envied Mac a little in that regard.

She set aside her ponderings and went to rummage through his desk in search of her letters. It was a very nice office chair, she noted, and couldn't resist the urge to spin around in it at least once. She loved the feeling of doing circles though she tried to contain her weakness while at work. She lifted her feet off the ground allowing herself one more turn before doing what she had set out to do.

When the chair came to a stop she was facing the hutch that stood behind the desk. Lined up on one of the shelves were several binders. There were over two dozen of them with her name written along the side followed by her age. The original ages had been scratched out and her real age had been handwritten in their place.

The binder she had found upstairs a week or so ago was at the head of the line where it belonged. She took it down and flipped through the pages, each letter had been carefully protected inside a plastic sleeve. She couldn't help but blush at how childish those first missives sounded. She couldn't even remember some of what she told him. Silly little things like 'I had peanut butter and jelly for lunch' and 'Matron told me Johnny Walker wasn't even Greek but I shouldn't hold that against him.'

She was lost rereading the letters when she thought she heard a sound coming from the other room. She stopped to listen for a few minutes but didn't hear anything. She shrugged it off as noise from the street and returned to reading. A loud crash from the living room caused her to jump up to check on Mac.

"Stella! No!" She heard Mac exclaim sounding pained. She picked up her pace thinking he had fallen off the couch. She sighed in relief when she saw it was just his crutches that had clattered to the floor, though he had thrown off the blankets. "Stella, where are you? Please don't be dead. Oh God, please don't let her be dead." He was mumbling, sounding frantic, as she approached the couch.

"I'm fine, Mac. I'm right here, it's okay." She assured him trying to rouse him from the throes of the nightmare he was obviously having.

She sat down on the coffee table in front of the couch unsure how to help him. She knew that trying to wake up someone from a deep sleep could be dangerous let alone someone with his military prowess. He could possibly snap her neck before he was awake enough to realize it was a friend not the enemy.

When he couldn't be roused by a gentle shaking of the shoulders, she tried a little firmer the second time. She was afraid that he might begin to thrash around if the nightmare grew any worse. He couldn't afford to injure himself anymore than he already had. She patted his cheek a little hoping that would do the trick without putting her life in any danger. He jumped and stared up at her looking like a deer caught in headlights.

"Stella?" He asked in concern.

"Yeah, I'm right here." She assured him brushing the hair out of his face.

"What's wrong?" He asked groggily but alert.

"I don't know, Mac. You tell me, you were the one having the nightmare." She told him. He frowned staring at her in confusion though the furrows deepened as he remembered the contents of the dream. He lay back on his pillow and threw an arm up to cover his eyes though she could see his shoulders were shaking a little.

"I was dreaming about the night my parents died again only this time you were on that plane as well. I was combing through the wreckage but I couldn't find you anywhere. It was like when Claire died. There wasn't even a body…" He confided in her. She leaned out to touch his arm making him jump, but he didn't pull away.

"It was just a nightmare, Mac. I'm fine and I'm not going anywhere I can't take you with me." She repeated what he had told her.

He looked over at her then and she smiled reassuringly at him. He returned her smile before taking her hand and giving it a tender squeeze. He gently tugged on her arm so that she had to kneel in front of the couch to get closer to him.

He brushed the hair back from her face with his free hand and just stared at her for the longest time as though trying to reassure himself that she was real. There was such a look of sadness mixed with relief that she couldn't take it anymore. She leaned down and kissed him. He accepted her kiss with such a passion and vulnerability that it took her breath away.

"Stay with me please," He whispered when she pulled away.

"You got it, Mac." She replied before kissing him again to assuage any doubts he may have before getting to her feet once more. Her knees creaked but she ignored them as she helped him sit up a little so she could move his pillow and take its place

"I tell you that I love you yet?" he asked as his eyes drifted closed again.

"Yes, but it's nice to hear every now and then. I love you too." She affirmed as she ran her fingers through his hair.

"I could get used to this." He sighed again, this time sounding content.

"So could I," She agreed but he was already asleep. She took a deep breath and let it out slowly as a contented smile formed on her lips as she too drifted off to sleep. For the first time in her life she felt as though she had finally come home.


	23. Chapter 23: A Sloppy Proposal

AN: Okay, here's the long awaited finale of Daddy Long-legs CSI: NY Style! Sorry to keep everyone waiting but my beta reader had to be hog tied (trussed up like a hog for the fire) to get this edited. Don't worry though, Mama's still in all one piece even if she is singed a little. ;-) Okay, so not really, but it took me a while to corral her into a chair long enough to go over these next two chapters. Sorry to say folks but this is the last chapter followed by the epilogue. Please don't forget to read them both and please vote in my poll if you have not done so already. I'll leave it up for a little while longer just so everyone has a chance to cast their votes. TTFN! VaniDot

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Chapter Twenty-three

Another week had passed since Mac was confined to house arrest. At least that's what his current predicament felt like. If ever he had suffered from cabin fever this had to be the worst experience of his life. Even being thrown off a second story balcony hadn't been this bad; in fact receiving several broken ribs, spraining his shoulder, and bruising his hip now seemed superficial compared to what he was suffering at the moment.

He wasn't talking about his injuries either. It was that infernal woman who was worse than any prison warden from those old uncensored movies. If Stella wasn't around to watch him with a hawk like intensity then she had her little spies tattling on him. She threatened to handcuff him to the couch and the frightening thing was he believed she would actually do it. It was a mutiny.

He was a prisoner in his own house barely getting a second alone to himself without someone hovering over him. Every time he tried to sleep he'd find one of them standing over him when he opened his eyes again. They hadn't dared try something like this the last time a doctor ordered him to take it easy. He had hobbled into work a week later and no one was brave enough to suggest he go home.

Even his 'Mac glare', as Don and Danny called the gaze that sent interns scurrying for the nearest exit, had no effect on Stella. She had turned them all against him and they told her everything he tried to do when he thought no one was watching. He was beginning to feel paranoid, though he told himself it was just the drugs wearing off.

It wasn't until Stella had left this last time that he had dared move from the couch long enough to go to the bathroom by himself. He was always keenly aware of being watched even though they stayed outside the door while he took a pee. If he wasn't so weak from being cooped up for so long he would have done a little jig the moment she had left him alone. His freedom wasn't to last long, however, as he heard keys jingling in the lock.

"Knock, knock!" his warden called, announcing her arrival. He groaned inwardly, afraid she might hear from the vestibule. He shifted his weight off his good hip, trying to get comfortable. "Don't you dare get up off that couch!" She called out to him, confirming his fear. "Dr. Stevens said you had to stay off that leg for at least another week." She reminded him of what the doctor told him during his last visit. He was growing to dislike the man Sheldon claimed was a friend.

"When he said to get lots of bed rest I don't think the man meant I couldn't get up to go to the bathroom by myself." Mac shot back tersely.

"Do you need to go?" She asked making him blush.

"I already went, thank you." He called back, letting his frustration tinge his words a little. "Not that I need help anyway." He mumbled to himself.

"If that's how you treat Greeks bearing gifts then maybe I'll just take this food and go home." She said a little closer this time. The smell that followed her made his stomach revolt against his own staged mutiny. He cursed under his breath that even his own body sided with her.

"I thought the saying was 'beware of Greeks bearing gifts,'" He said in defeat.

"Only to someone who isn't Greek," She replied kissing the top of his head making his stomach grumble again. She was his Jezebel, she must have cut his hair or something when he wasn't looking because he was completely powerless against her. He was beginning to forget why he was even mad at her now. "I brought dinner and a few movies. Which do you want first?" She asked as though aware of the signals his stomach was sending his brain, overriding logic.

"Tell me what you've got and I'll let you know." He put up one last brave attempt at revolution before surrendering completely to the already lost cause.

"I've got souvlaki, fasalakia freska, and for dessert baklava." She listed off the items she had brought with her. It all sounded like Greek to him, no pun intended, but the smell was intent on reminding him how long it had been since breakfast. "I remembered that Sid is deathly allergic to Cinnamon so don't worry about the house getting contaminated. I know this guy who owns a Greek restaurant and he doesn't use any cinnamon in his food. His niece is extremely allergic to a lot of other spices as well so he stopped using them in his cooking. You can hardly taste the difference though." Her voice carried through the open door of the kitchen where she was working.

"All of it sounds good." He told her.

"Good, 'cause I'm giving you a little of everything. Except the baklava, that's for later." She told him bringing him a plate full of food.

"What movies did you get?" He asked curiously, feeling guilty for giving in so easily.

"Two for you and two for me. I bought a movie around Christmas time last year and still haven't gotten to watch it. It's always on whenever I get called to work. After trying to set the DVR and still missing it I thought I'd just better break down and buy the blasted thing." She told him.

"I thought I was the invalid around here." He voiced a complaint about having to sit through chick flicks.

"I'll save it for when the pain pills put you to sleep." She replied. He shrugged, thinking it was only fair as he didn't have many movies they hadn't already watched a thousand times over.

"Flack ratted you out, Mac." She told him as she returned to the kitchen.

"What did I do this time?" He asked, rolling his eyes.

"Nothing, silly, he just revealed one of your secrets. He said you'd kill him if he told anyone so I tortured him a little to get it out of him. I didn't think you'd mind." She laughed a little. Was maniacal the right word?

"I didn't think I had any secrets left," he spoke up so she could hear him over the noise she was making.

"Oh, you do, but then so do I. I'm sure we will spend the rest of our lives trying to unravel them all and never will." She replied, bringing them drinks which she set on the coffee table before heading back once more.

"So what is this secret and why do I have to kill Flack over it?" He asked as she returned to the living room with her plate.

"You like sci-fi movies." She grinned at him as she put her plate down next to their beverages.

"I think you're mistaken about that. Sci-fi movies are Don's addiction, not mine," he denied the charges against him. He rolled his eyes remembering the endless hours of sci-fi Don Junior had made him endure every Sunday before the game started.

"Says the man who went to the policeman's Halloween party as Steve Austin three years in a row." She laughed. She pinned him under a studious gaze making him feel uncomfortable. "Yeah, I can see it." She said at last, turning to rummage through the bag she had set on the floor beside the television on her way to the kitchen.

"See what?" He asked curiously, enjoying the view as she bent over.

"You as the 'six million dollar man'." She said giving him a little ego trip. "A few decades ago at least." She pulled the flying carpet out from under him causing him to hurtle towards the ground at ninety miles an hour. He pictured one of those cartoon characters being cratered into the dirt several feet. He resisted the urge to stick his tongue out at her and stuck a bite of food into his mouth instead. "Yours or mine?" She asked, holding out two movies in each hand.

"You're not going to make this easy on me are you?" He asked curiously. She merely raised an eyebrow at him. "Alright, one of mine." He said, a chick flick now would only make his mood worse. He needed to watch something with explosions.

"Apollo 13 or Imposter?" She finally revealed his only two choices.

"What are they rated?" He asked, knowing she wouldn't want to watch something too bloody during their meal. Peyton hadn't been bothered by Hollywood gore though she could watch things that even turned his stomach.

"PG, and R." She said setting down her two and holding out the prospective choices.

"PG." He made his choice and she stuck the movie into the DVD player. She returned to the couch, squeezing in beside him.

"This is good." He said referring to the food.

They weren't even five minutes into the movie when a slightly familiar voice caused him to look up at the screen. He had been more interested in his meal than the movie as it hadn't started out with a bang. Mac couldn't hold back the groan that escaped upon seeing his Hollywood doppelganger. He suddenly remembered why he hadn't watched the movie in the first place. Hearing his reaction Stella looked up at him, also too distracted by her food to notice, so he motioned towards the screen.

"Hey, Mac, that could be you." She exclaimed pointing at the screen.

"You mean you honestly didn't know he was in this movie?" He asked in disbelief.

"When I asked Flack which movies you hadn't seen yet he mentioned this one." She shook her head looking too innocent to be lying. "Lindsey suggested a few others you might like." She replied making him roll his eyes. He was afraid to ask what Lindsey's other suggestions had been.

He sighed and shrugged it off as he supposed it was as good a movie as any. It wasn't too horrendous nor was his twin that bad at acting. By the time the movie was half over, he begrudgingly admitted to himself that his mirror image was a pretty good actor.

After they had finished eating, Stella got up to make some coffee, bringing both the coffee and the baklava back to the living room. He even had her pause the movie so he could wash the honey from his hands without missing any scenes. By the time the movie was over, he was drifting off to sleep but not because of disinterest, the pain pills were starting to take affect.

Stella got up to stick her movie into the machine as he closed his eyes and relaxed against the sofa. When she returned to the couch she pulled him back against her so his head was resting on her lap. Even as he snuggled down to get comfortable, he thought about her eventual discomfort.

"Your legs will fall asleep." He cautioned.

"You worry about your leg and let me worry about mine." She told him, running her fingers through his hair again.

"I could get used to this." He sighed in contentment.

"Hmm, you said that once already. Don't get too accustomed. I wouldn't want you running out to get yourself shot just to use me as a pillow." She informed him. When she hummed, the vibrations ran down her leg into his neck making him think of a cat's purr.

"What would you say about getting a kitten?" He asked the idea that just popped into his head.

"I can't have pets in my apartment, Mac." She told him.

"We can keep it here." He offered.

"Well I'm actually more of a dog person." Stella revealed a side of her that he didn't know.

"You never asked me for a dog in any of your letters." He frowned.

"Matron said I couldn't have any animals." She explained.

"Did you always do what Sister Eunice said?" He inquired.

"Of course," She answered as though there was never another option. "I always did what Papa Costa told me to do as well." She added.

"Good girl," He praised, getting a punch to his arm for his trouble. "Hey I'm still injured you know." He grimaced.

"Ah, poor baby," She kissed his forehead. "You're at work more often than I am, Mac. If you think I'm going to come over here on my days off just to feed this dog, you better think again." She returned to the previous discussion.

"You're practically over here every day anyway. What's the difference?" He wondered, still fighting off the drowsiness.

"Then does that mean I'd get dual custody?" She inquired. "Will I get holidays and weekends? Then it will have to be a small dog so I can sneak it past my super in my purse." She laughed.

"No small dogs," He exclaimed. "They bark too much anyway. Your landlord would hear it a mile away. I've always liked Collies." He suggested.

"I don't want one that big. Babies and young kids tend to be scared of large dogs. You wouldn't want to alienate your god-daughter, now do you? What about a Cavalier King Charles? I got to pet one once; it was so soft and very sweet. From everything I've read, friendliness is a breed characteristic." Stella suggested.

"Still a bit small and if it's anything like its spaniel cousins then it has fragile bones. Not a good dog to have around really small children. Once Lucy starts crawling around she could unintentionally hurt the puppy." He rejected the suggestion. "The lady down the street breeds Shetland Sheepdogs. I don't know why it isn't one of the more popular breeds but they look like miniature Collies." He remembered.

"That was so planned. Why didn't you just mention them in the first place?" She charged.

"It was not planned!" He proclaimed his innocence, beginning to slur his words a little. "Mrs. Rotheheim was taking her dogs out for a walk the other day as I was leaving. The male dog saw me and charged at me, barking like a madman." He recalled the encounter.

"I thought you didn't want a yippy dog." She proclaimed.

"I didn't say yippy, it might be a half pint but the Sheltie packs a pretty mean punch." He told her.

"It didn't bite you did it?" She asked out of concern.

"The most danger I was in was that I'd be licked to death. When I knelt down to catch him for her I got an ear full of slobber for my trouble. Mrs. Rotheheim introduced me to George and his mate Gracie, they were both very friendly." He said.

"George and Gracie?" She asked curiously.

"Hmm, Mrs. Rotheheim said something about naming the after characters in her favorite Star Trek movie." He replied.

"The Voyage Home?" She asked. He nodded. "Mac, you meet the strangest people." She pointed out.

"I met you, didn't I?" He countered.

"I have a secret for you, Mac." She announced.

"Hmm?" he wanted to know, unable to force actual words passed his lips.

"I'm the strangest person you're ever going to meet." She confessed. He looked up at her then.

"I don't know about that. I've met some mighty weird people." He charged.

"True, but I'm the good kind of weird." She revealed her secret with a laugh. He managed a groggy chuckle.

"Okay, I'll give you that, but we could, you know." He brought the conversation full circle.

"Could what?" she asked, apparently forgetting the conversation they had sidestepped.

"Get a dog." He reminded her.

"I thought you wanted a kitten." She shook her head looking down at him.

"You were the one who said you'd always wanted a dog. I only suggested a kitten because that's what most women prefer." He told her.

"Just how many women have you asked to mother your pets?" She wanted to know. He frowned, wondering if there was an innuendo in there somewhere, but shrugged it off.

"None!" He glared at her. "Claire was the only woman I brought home to my parent's house and she was my wife." He told her.

"Did the two of you ever have any kittens?" She wondered.

"She was allergic to animals." He replied.

"No, step-pets I have to worry about then." She mused.

"Well, there were a few strays I've picked up over the years." He mentioned.

"What about illegitimate pets? Any little Mac kittens or puppies running around that I don't know about?" She wanted to know.

"If there are we'll find out about them together." He answered.

"Are we going to have to keep the puppy a secret at the office?" She asked. He looked up at her again. Despite her teasing tone, he could see she was being serious.

"No, Stella. I don't want to keep anything a secret from the others." He assured her until she raised an eyebrow at him. "Okay, so we don't have to go into every intimate detail of our relationship. Other than that, the gang can know all about the puppy. I'll be sure to issue an open invitation to the brownstone so they can see him or her whenever they want… within reason of course." He added.

"And what about me? When can I come over and visit with this pet of ours?" She asked.

"We could raise it together." He put forth.

"Mac, are you asking me to move in with you?" She inquired.

"Yes," He replied.

"Aren't you worried about what your society friends will say about us living together?" She questioned. He frowned up at her.

"I could care less what they think. They couldn't have anything to say about my wife that I would want to hear anyway." He insisted, his eyes drifting closed again. He heard a quick intake of breath and she remained silent for the longest time.

"I thought we were talking about getting a dog, Mac." She spoke at last.

"We are," he agreed. "Why? What are you talking about?" He wondered.

"Moving in together. What are you talking about?" She asked.

"Getting married." He informed her then realized it was the first time he had clearly defined his intentions. He was wide awake by that point. "I thought… I'm sorry, Stella. I should have asked that question first. I messed things up a bit. I know it's not the most romantic proposal but I can't exactly get down on one knee at the moment. I would have liked to have done things properly but it just sort of slipped out." He apologized.

"Don't tell me you're a romantic in addition to being a traditionalist." She demanded. He shrugged his shoulders.

"I wouldn't call myself a romantic. I had a few thoughts on how I'd pop the question though…. this wasn't one of them." He mentioned.

"What ways?" She begged the question.

"A picnic followed by a stroll in the park where I'd find a nice scenic backdrop to set the tone: a five star restaurant and a concert followed by a moonlit stroll – along the river perhaps; or maybe a little dinner and dancing where I'd lean you back, kiss you passionately, and ask you to marry me." He ticked off a few of his top choices.

"All of those ideas sound very romantic to me, Mac. There's nothing wrong with a nice quiet meal at home followed by a movie." She said at last on the brink of tears.

"Stella, what's wrong?" He asked.

"I thought I was a tyrant." She sobbed.

"I'm going to kill Sid." He huffed.

"Don't you dare," She defended the medical examiner. "If you kill off all the people you've threatened to do away with, we won't have any friends left." She insisted. He laughed and shook his head, knowing he would never act on his threats, though a little payback was in order, in certain cases.

"I was just venting my frustrations, Stella. I'm not good at being cooped up and what I said was told in confidence. Sid was never supposed to repeat what I told him. I get a little loose lipped when I'm on pain meds." He tried to explain. "I thought marriage proposals were supposed to be joyous occasions." He propped himself up on his elbow and turned to face her.

"They are and I am. I just… I never thought I could be so happy. Why me?" She wanted to know.

"Because I love you?" He answered.

"No, why did you save me? Why provide for me all these years?" She asked, questions that had probably been on her mind for a long time.

"Because you were injured. What was I supposed to do, drive on by and let you die in that car?" He asked a question of his own.

"A lot have people would have," She informed him.

"That's not in my nature, Stella. I still would have stopped that night and had you been dead I would have given you a proper burial along with your mom and Mr. Wentworth. God put me on that road at just the right time because he knew you needed me. I've always believed that, Stella. I still do. Why he brought us together after all these years? I couldn't say. I've tried to convince myself that I have no reason to fall in love with you or to expect you to return my feelings. Especially since you are someone God put under my protection. God help me, Stella, but I do love you; more now than when you first walked into my lab. Maybe He had a hand in that as well, I don't know. Age difference aside, if you'll have me, I want to go on taking care of you for the rest of my life." He assured her. There was another long silence and he could see the disbelief in her eyes which frightened him. "Please say yes, Stella!" He pleaded.

"If it is God's will, then who am I to argue?" She inquired. He reached up to caress her face.

"God gave us the freedom to choose our own path. What is Stella's will saying?" He questioned.

"It says that Stella would be pretty stupid if she turned down an offer like this. She's done a few stupid things in her life but she isn't about to let this be one of them. Stella says yes." She grinned at him through her tears. "In other words: of course I'll marry you, Mac." She said throwing her arms around his neck and kissing him.

"I have another secret for you, one that Flack doesn't even know." He informed her as they drew back for air.

"Oh, yeah. What's that?" She questioned dutifully.

"I own most of New York City." He grinned before kissing her again. This was the happiest day of Mac's life, even if his proposal of marriage had been a bit sloppy.


	24. Chapter 24: Glipse into the Future

AN: Okay, here's the long awaited finale of Daddy Long-legs CSI: NY Style! Please don't forget to read Chapter 23 if you haven't already, remember I've posted two chapters just this minute. Please vote in my poll if you have not done so already. I'll leave it up for a little while longer just so everyone has a chance to cast their votes. TTFN! VaniDot

CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY *** CSINY

Epilogue

Two months to the day of Mac's sloppy proposal they were married in ST. Basil's church by Father Papakota. Since the priest's job had been to officiate the ceremony, it was Sid's job to walk her down the isle. Angel, Lindsey, and Bella had been her bridesmaids, while Don, Danny, Sheldon, and Adam had been Mac's groomsmen. Although they had meant to have their honeymoon in Greece, like many other times in their hectic lives, work had gotten in the way.

Another case had prevented them from taking that trip, but they had finally gotten the chance to consummate their love for one another. Stella was glad they had waited as their love making had more meaning than if they had given into their lusts early on in their relationship. Their first child, a little girl named Madeline after Mac's mother, was born exactly nine months later. Two years later they welcomed their son, Ross, to the family.

Stella could hardly believe that so much had happened since the mystery of her benefactor's identity had been solved. The best part was that she had finally found where she belonged, in Mac's diverse family. She couldn't imagine how her life would turn out that day she stepped off that elevator into a new phase in her life. Nor had she imagined how full it would become, anymore than she could imagine it getting any better than it was at that moment. If she though about it hard enough, she might even say she had been paid back seven fold.

Warm arms encircled her waist drawing her back from her silent musings and she smiled when her husband kissed her neck. His hands came to rest atop her barely protruding abdomen as if to protect the still growing miracle inside her. She laid her head back against his chest smiling happily as he joined her fascinated examination of the sonogram stuck to their fridge.

"The results aren't going to change no matter how hard you stare at them, my love." Mac spoke at last.

"I know, I just have a hard time wrapping my head around the possibility." She admitted.

"I would have been content with the two wonderful children you've already given me." He informed her as he pulled her closer.

"You only enjoy the process of how I arrived in such a state." She teased.

"Hmmm," He agreed with her. He kissed her neck again as his hands crept further down until she put a stop to their descent, drawing his hands back up to her waist where she kept a firm hold of them.

"Our guests will be arriving shortly." She warned. His warm breath tickled her neck as he sighed sadly.

"Remind me again why they're coming here," He asked as he rested his chin on her shoulder.

"It's our wedding anniversary, in case you've forgotten." She reminded him.

"Oh, yeah. Which one is it again?" He asked seriously. She elbowed him in the ribs for even jesting. "I know. How could I forget being married to a wonderful woman for the last eight years?" He inquired as she twisted around in his arms draping hers around his neck to kiss him good-morning.

"Nine years, darling. Maddie will be turning eight soon." She gently corrected. His expressive eyes danced with mirth.

"A fact which she reminds me of daily. What was that present she keeps talking about?" Mac questioned acting as though he hadn't heard their children enter the room.

"A Junior Forensic Investigator's kit, which comes with finger print dust, evidence collection, and a chemistry set, Daddy." Maddie repeated her request for the umpteenth time. They turned to look at their daughter to find her standing in the doorway of the kitchen with her hands on her hips. Ross hovered just behind her before getting frustrated and slipping around his sister.

"Oh, yes that's right. How could I forget that?" Mac asked relinquishing his hold of Stella so he could tackle his son. Scooping him off his feet Mac dangled him upside down before depositing him in a chair at the breakfast table. Stella remembered what she was doing before being engrossed with the picture held to the fridge by a magnet and poured two glasses of milk for her children.

"It's probably a side effect of your advanced age." Maddie piped up sounds more like a seventy year old scientist than a child of seven. "My research shows that people in your age bracket are more likely to forget important information." She informed her father as she joined her brother at the table. Mac glanced helplessly at Stella who set each of the cups beside her children's plates.

"Don't look at me. You're the one with the high I.Q." She told him.

"Did she just call me old?" Mac asked.

"Don't worry, Dad. I still love you." Their son asserted.

"Thank you, Ross." Mac showed his appreciation by patting the six year old's head.

"Even if you are old." Ross added after the fact, nailing the lid shut on Mac's coffin. "I still don't see why you need all of that stuff anyway." He told his sister in continuation of a conversation they must have been having before joining their parent in the kitchen.

"So I can be a forensic scientist like Mommy and Daddy." Maddie informed her brother.

"What ever happened to asking for Dollies? I want to go back to those days." Mac complained trying to recover from the mortal wounds to his ego.

"I asked for a finger printing kit when I was younger." Stella pointed out as she sipped on her cup of coffee.

"You were at least nine." He objected.

"Ten actually, my dear." She reminded him handing him a cup of coffee as well. Mac sighed wearily and shook his head.

"Are you sure I couldn't interest you in an American Heritage Doll, Maddie? All of your friends have one." He tried coaxing his daughter for the umpteenth time as well.

"Nope, I want a Junior Forensic Scientist's kit complete with…" Maddie began the entire description over again as though if she didn't say the whole thing they might somehow buy the wrong thing by mistake. There was only one Junior Forensic Scientist Kit on the market and Mac would kill if he knew it was the team who invented the object of his derision. Danny had come up with the idea, but thanks to Sheldon and Adam's expertise, the team had chipped in together and as a result shared equally in the profits. As Stella had made a few suggestions of her own, she hoped Mac would be none the wiser.

"I know, I know," Mac sighed in defeat. Despite the danger involved Stella couldn't help but laugh. "Laugh all you want, Stella, but be warned: if those two don't turn out normal I'm giving them back." He informed her.

"Define normal," Stella shot back.

"Someone who actually pets Spock instead of trying to interrogate the family dog." Mac replied though he couldn't hide his own amusement at the memory of their daughter's failed attempt to intimidate the sheltie.

"I do not wish to be reminded of such a childish mistake. I'm not as naive as I was when I was little." Maddie huffed, glaring at the dog sleeping innocently at her feet. While Stella had thought he was just joking about getting a dog, Mac had taken her to Mrs. Rotheheim's to pick out one of Gracie's puppies. Spock was already nine but he had been the kid's faithful playmate since they could remember.

"I want to be a cop like Uncle Don." Ross piped up not to be left out.

"I thought you wanted to be a fireman." Stella stated.

"Nah, that was last week," Their six year old replied. In kid years a week was a lifetime ago.

"Your mother and I are also policemen, Ross." Mac reminded his son.

"Yeah, but Uncle Don is cooler." Ross threw a grenade into Mac's already battle scarred ego. Mac was left staring at his son speechlessly trying to pick up the pieces of what was left his self-esteem. Leave it to a child to say it like it is.

"How so?" Stella asked trying to hide her amusement.

"He gets to arrest people. You and Daddy don't get to do any of the fun stuff." Ross explained. Mac held a hand to his stomach as if he had been gut shot, though by the look on his face, the hole in his psyche was just as terminal. Stella was about to intervene when Maddie came to her father's rescue.

"Gathering evidence and dusting for prints in fun!" Maddie stated, committing physiological resuscitation on her father, though without her knowledge. Watching her husband's face during the interplay between their children was priceless; Stella couldn't help but laugh then. Mac cast her a glare as his ego recuperated.

"Is not," Ross shot back, ignorant of the exchange between his parents.

"Is too," The childish side emerged proving Maddie wasn't as mature as she wanted to think. She was only seven and three fourths after all, despite her precociousness.

"At least one of our children wants to follow in our footsteps." Mac breathed a sigh of relief once he'd recovered from the initial shock.

"You were just wishing she wanted to play with dolls like girls her age normally do." She reminded him putting an end to their children's heated debate before things got out of hand.

"That's before being told I am boring." Mac replied.

"Who's boring?" Danny Messer asked from the doorway to the kitchen.

"Me apparently." Mac answered dejectedly.

"Nobody said you were boring, my dear. Ross merely thinks our jobs are not as exciting as Don and Angel's." Stella corrected, talking over the sound of the children's enthusiastic greeting of the newcomers. Stella hugged Danny and Lindsey before greeting their two children. Despite swearing off having another child, Lindsey had given birth to a son, Ian, shortly after Maddie's arrival.

"Can we go play with Lucy and Ian?" Maddie inquired.

"It's may I and yes you may." Stella gave the children permission to go be kids. "They grow up so fast!" She sighed watching her daughter morph into the seven year old she could still be on rare occasions.

"Don't I know it," Lindsey agreed, as she put the food she'd brought along on the counter. "I just found out Lucy's new teacher is younger than I am. I feel so old." She added, putting something in the fridge. "Is that what I think it is?" She asked noticing the picture on the door.

"Yep," Mac beamed.

"Who would have thought they ran in the family?" Stella mused knowing exactly how Lindsey felt. She felt the same way when she had heard the news.

"Why do I always feel like I'm the last to know anything?" Danny questioned ignorantly.

"Because you are," Don shot back, entering the room accompanied by his wife and their own little tyke.

"Picking on Danny again, Flack?" Sheldon asked arriving at nearly the same instance. He brought his girlfriend whom he'd met while volunteering in the park. Adam wasn't far behind with his latest love interest: an intern from the office.

"He knows I'm just teasing," Don defended himself above the chaos of everyone greeting everyone else.

"Oh, great the gang's all here." Sid rounded out the family with Mary and Bella who took little Donny from Angel. Mac and Stella had been waiting until the cast was assembled to tell everyone the news but before they could Lindsey spoke up.

"Guess what, guys!" She cried out still staring disbelievingly at the photo. No one paid her much mind until a shrill whistle brought a hush to the room. All eyes turned towards the young woman Stella considered a sister and waited diligently for the secret to be revealed. "Mac and Stella are having twins!"

Fini!


End file.
